Hyperdimension Neptunia: Data Breaker
by Zenotyne
Summary: Gamindustri is in danger, and with the CPUs missing there seems to be no one to save it. The only hope they have to save their world comes from one who is not from it. T-Rated. First fic. Please go easy on me.
1. Chapter 1: Daily Life

**DISCLAIMER**

 **Hyperdimension Neptunia is owned by Idea Factory, Compile Heart, and all other official parties involved with the Neptunia series.**

 **I own NOTHING.**

 **To all veteran fanfiction readers, writers, and reviewers, please be aware this is my first ever fic. As such I apologize in advance if I put this together rather sloppy. Also be aware that I am not one to plan very far ahead, just making things up as I go, so the story may or may not take odd turns in the future. You have been warned.**

 **With that out of the way, let the story begin!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE**

 **DAILY LIFE**

*DING DONG DANG DONG*

"Alright class, that's it for today's lesson. Your assignment for tonight will be to use the material we just went over to answer the questions on page 137, due Monday. That's all," said the teacher at the front of the classroom. She was a woman roughly in her mid or high twenties with auburn hair held in a bun with some pins. She wore a simple pair of glasses that went well with her outfit: a white long-sleeve button-up shirt under a dark green blazer vest with a black knee-length skirt and black heels. It was simple but also standard for all female teachers.

"All rise," said one of the students. The others followed her directions. and stepped out of their seats. "And bow." Again the others followed her directions and example before rising again. Some of the students began chatting with one another while others gathered their things to go to clubs or home. All except one.

Seated near the back next to the windows was Kainen Nomura. A 17-year-old boy with somewhat messy brown hair and dark green eyes. He was wearing the standard school uniform for boys. He had his arm propping up his head as he blankly stared out the window. Nothing was going through his mind at the time. He was just waiting for time to pass by.

"Yo, Kainen!" called out someone. Kainen looked towards the source with a somewhat disinterested look, his head never leaving its propped position. A boy approached Kainen's desk with a goofy grin on his face. He was a little shorter than Kainen with short, spiky black hair and brown eyes. "Hey man, I got my allowance early from my old man this week. Wanna hit the arcades with me or something? It's been a while since we really got a chance to hang out."

Kainen stared silently at his friend for a moment before returning his gaze to the window. "Can't today, Daisuke. I got cleaning duty."

"Eh?" Daisuke said with a raised brow. "So what? You're quick with that stuff, right? Just go ahead and get started. Heck, I'll even help if you want."

"Thanks for the offer, but..." Kainen raised his free arm and pointed to a group of students near the front of the classroom; some girls who seemed to be gossiping about who knows what. Girls were always so complicated to him. Never could tell what they were thinking. "They're probably gonna be here a while. I can't start 'til they leave. Plus..." He then pointed to the window. "It looks like it's gonna rain later. I don't feel like getting wet if I can help it."

True to Kainen's word, dark clouds were gathering in the distance. One could even see flashes on the cloud line in the distance. It looked like it was going to be quite a storm.

"Ouch. Tough luck, man," said Daisuke. "Maybe next time then?" Kainen could only half-heartedly nod. Normally he was more upbeat, but being stuck with cleaning duty coupled with the impending storm killed his mood. "Okay. Well, I guess I'll catch you later then." Daisuke then turned to leave. No sense in staying if his friend wasn't in the mood to do anything. Kainen then let out a heavy sigh. All he could do was watch and wait.

* * *

Having just finished his cleaning duties, Kainen started gathering his things from his locker. He even got out a small umbrella he always brings with him. Good thing, too, considering it had started to rain. He started out the door until he saw someone else standing under the veranda.

It was a fairly short girl with shoulder length dark brown hair wearing the girls' uniform for the school. She had a hairclip shaped like a flower holding her bangs out of the way on the left side. She was just standing there tightly holding her bag to her chest, as though she were debating running into the rain or not. Not one to leave well enough alone Kainen called out to her. "Hey. Ayame."

"Ah, Kainen-senpai!" The girl turned around towards Kainen. "Why are you here? I thought you would have gone home by now?"

"I had cleaning duty today," he replied. "Would've finished up sooner but some of my classmates stuck around longer than they should have. What about you? Why are you still here?"

"Huh? Oh, um..." Ayame started to fidget a little. "I was, um... working on something in the Home Ec. room. But..." She turned her eyes back out to the rain. "When I was done it had already started raining and I don't have my umbrella. I was thinking of using my bag for cover and making a run for it, but then all my school things might get wet. But in the end, I couldn't really decide. I really am hopeless..."

"You sure are." Hey stepped forward and opened his umbrella, making sure she was completely under it. "Come on. I'll walk you home. Besides, if I know your dad he's probably bawling his eyes out wondering where you are right now." Ayame looked a little surprised at his act of kindness. She was about to argue in some way but Kainen quickly cut her off. "You just said you don't have an umbrella, right? Plus, your house is mostly on the way. It's not like I'll lose time or anything."

She could only stand there blinking a few time before smiling, a light blush coming into her cheeks. "Thank you, senpai. Even when we were children you always seemed to save me from my troubles."

Kainen turned his head away slightly with her last statement. "That's just your imagination. Now let's get going before the rain gets worse." Ayame nodded in agreement before the two started walking home. Truthfully his far shoulder was getting a little wet but it was alright. He'd waste no time 'biting the bullet' for a friend, but he was too modest to ever admit that kind of kindness.

* * *

Kainen stood there with a big smirk on his face. Not that he could be blamed with the comical sight in front of him.

"Ohh, my dear, sweet Ayame! You've come home!" A man with short black hair, glasses and a stubble on his face was holding Ayame in a hug and rubbing his cheek against hers, as though he was making sure she was real. He even had rivers of tears coming from his eyes. Whether they were from worry, relief, or some combination of the two Kainen couldn't tell. He wore a light-blue button-up shirt with some dark-blue jeans.

"Daaad, stop it! Your beard is scratching me! It's making me itchy!" Ayame rebuked, but she still had her own awkward smile. Her father acting like this was nothing new. She was his world. Of course, this also made him a little overprotective of her, but he never did anything too outrageo... Okay, that's a lie.

"Thank you for bringing Ayame home, Nomura-chan," thanked a woman with long light-brown hair that reached to the center of her back and dark blue eyes. She wore a simple yellow shirt and light-blue long skirt all under a pink apron that read 'Namatame Bakery' in red letters over the heart area of it. Ayame's home was also the neighborhood bread store. "Itsuki was about ready to call his team in the police force to find her. He was worried someone might have kidnapped her."

"It's no big deal. It was mostly good timing really," Kainen replied, though now his smile was somewhat forced. "And could you please stop using 'chan'? I'm fine with you calling me by my first name you know." Ayame's mother held her grateful smile without a response. He could swear sometimes she does it on purpose. "Well, I need to get going. I'll catch you guys later."

"Ah, wait! Senpai!" Ayame finally pried herself from her father's grip and rushed over in front of Kainen. She opened her mouth to say something but stopped midway. She then turned her gaze downward and started fidgeting again. It even looked like her face was turning red. She didn't get wet but was she catching a cold? Finally, she started digging through her schoolbag and presented a small pink bag tied closed with a yellow ribbon. She held it out to him with both hands with a big "Here!"

Kainen took the bag. "Um, thanks. What's in-" Before he could finish Ayame took off into the back where the living area was, leaving him staring at the small bag in his hand. Kainen wasn't stupid. He had a good idea why she gave it to him. They had known each other for years; more than enough time for bonds to grow. He even thought about actually asking her out on occasion. But there was always one thing holding him back...

"It's always a beautiful thing to see a young man receive a gift from a cute girl. Just remember..." At first, he had a big, goofy grin on his face, but just as soon as Ayame's father placed his hand on Kainen's shoulder his expression grew dark and serious. "...If you ever make my daughter cry, there _will_ be consequences. Understand?"

Feeling the chill crawl up his spine, Kainen could only respond the same way anyone else in his position could. "Y...yes, sir. I understand." It was nice to know he had her father's approval, but he still would have to watch himself. One wrong move and he'd be in an early grave. Her father is a police officer after all.

"Well, you should probably get going. I'm sure your own parents are worried about you." Just as quickly as before, Itsuki's expression went back to being cheery. Kainen put away the bag before opening up his umbrella again. Ayame's parents waved and said their good-byes as he went out the door. Could this day get any more eventful?

* * *

The door opened and a soaked Kainen rushed through, struggling to close the door behind him. Once closed, he stood there dripping for a bit. "...Great. Just great. As soon as I drop her off the storm picks up. This is so much crap..." As if on cue, there was a bright flash from the windows followed by a large boom of thunder. If it was just rain he would have been fine with the umbrella but as the rain grew worse some strong wind started to pick up, rendering it near pointless.

"I'm home..." he said as he kicked off his soaked shoes and stepped into the living area. As he turned on the light he realized he must be the only one home, or else the lights would already be on. His mother was probably working late again. It was a normal occurrence he had grown accustomed to, but it would still have been nice.

Wanting to brighten his otherwise crappy afternoon, Kainen stepped into the kitchen and opened the fridge looking for something to snack on. Inside was... "HALLELUJAH! PUDDING!" It was just one cup but pudding was his little slice of heaven. He quickly grabbed that, a spoon, and a soda and headed upstairs to his room.

Before he could get started on his snack time he had to change clothes. He was still dripping some after all. He threw his schoolbag on his bed and quickly changed from his school uniform into some blue jeans and a red t-shirt. As he started to dig into his snack he remembered the gift he got from Ayame.

Kainen retrieved Ayame's gift from his bag and opened it, revealing it held cookies inside. Quickly popping one into his mouth he found it tasted alright. It was a little on the bland side, but still good. Wait... Was this why she was in the Home Ec. room after classes? Now that he thought about it, normally she had an umbrella with her in case of unexpected rains. Was that just an excuse to meet up with him? Is she more clever than she lets on?

Deciding it would solve nothing thinking about it, Kainen's mind wandered to ways he could entertain himself. And what would be better than his favorite pastime: video games! He had a small TV in his room but it was decent enough for his purposes. Hooked up to it was his Playstation 3. He didn't have very many games for it but they never failed to entertain him.

Scanning through his selection, he decided on a game he hadn't played in a while. "Ah, 'Hyperdimension Neptunia: Victory'. You're always good for some laughs." Truthfully, he idolized the Neptunia world. He often imagined himself in such a world, fighting monsters or going on adventures with the game's characters. Despite all his friends and everything, Kainen never really felt he fit in here. He was just living life day to day; like he was rails or something.

Throwing the game in the console he was soon brought to the main menu. Controller in hand and munching on his snacks, he quickly selected 'LOAD GAME'. He had long already beat it, but he still found it fun to play. Just as the game started to load up his save file the was another bright flash and boom from the windows. This time, however, it was accompanied by a power outage.

Time seemed to stand still at that moment in the darkness. For a few seconds, there wasn't a bit of movement or sound in the room aside from the patter of the rain on his window. "WHAAAATT!? No... No, not now...! Not now, NOT NOW!"

Kainen scrambled back over to his console and started pressing buttons, trying to turn it back on but to no avail. He wasn't really worried about the console so much as he was his data. The game was in the middle of loading his file when the power outage happened so he was worried his data might have become corrupted. Sadly he wouldn't find out until the power came back on, and who knows how long it would be before that happened.

"Noooo... Why is this happening now?..." Defeated, Kainen lay lifeless on his floor. Not having access to his games, the boy had lost his spark. It seemed like life wanted to throw a lot of crap in his face today.

Suddenly Kainen's TV turned on, yet the rest of the room remained in darkness. Had power really come back on? He sat back up and stared at the screen. The image was fuzzy with static, but the TV was indeed on. Soon a message appeared on the screen.

 **Do you want to be a hero?**

 **Will you help save our world?**

 **Yes**

 **No**

"What the hell...?" Confused, Kainen simply stared at the screen for a bit. He took another look at the console and TV. He realized that the power indicators for neither the console nor the TV itself were on, yet there was indeed an image on the screen and a cursor appeared when he tapped the controller's directional pad.

Kainen stepped over to his window to see if maybe something weird was just going on with his house's lighting only to see that the whole neighborhood appeared to be without power. He returned to the controller and scrolled back and forth between 'Yes' and 'No'. Alarms were going off in his head as his sense of reason told him to just leave well enough alone. Yet his curiosity kept nagging at him to dig deeper into this mystery. Assuming the message was true, the thought of becoming a hero was enticing as well.

After a few minutes, which seemed like hours to him, of continuous scrolling between his options, he ultimately gave in to his temptation and selected 'Yes'. The message faded away immediately after. Soon another message appeared in its place.

 **Thank you, young hero.**

 **Your journey will be filled with peril,**

 **but keep moving forward and you will find its end.**

 **We await your arrival.**

The screen began to glow brighter and brighter. The light began to fill the entire room, blinding Kainen. Yet for some reason, he kept feeling a pull towards the screen. Almost as though he was losing touch with gravity. "...Whaat theee HEEEEELLL!?-"

Finally, the light dimmed to nothing, returning the room to darkness. Except there was one less thing in it. Kainen himself. The boy had vanished into thin air. What had happened to him? Only time would tell.

* * *

 **And there you have it. Sorry if some of you find it a little short but I'm still learning here.**

 **Stay tuned for more. I think I might be able to churn out a chapter each week if I work on it a little every day.**

 **Till then, catch ya later! Zeno out!**


	2. Chapter 2: Arrival

**DISCLAIMER**

 **Hyperdimension Neptunia is owned by Idea Factory, Compile Heart, and all other official parties involved with the series.**

 **I own NOTHING.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWO**

 **ARRIVAL**

Kainen's eyes slowly begin to flutter open as he rouses from his unconscious state. Unfamiliar with the ceiling before him, he turns his head to the side to look around. The room he was in was mostly empty. There were a couple of chairs and a small table on the far side of the room. There was also a lilac colored dresser on another side of the room along with a few other bits of furniture and nicknacks. Much of the room seemed to be designed in a futuristic, yet childishly simple fashion. If his comfort was any indication he seemed to be in a bed.

"...Wha...? Where am I...?" As he spoke his question he managed to raise himself upright. Seeking answers to his unfamiliar surroundings, Kainen shuffled himself out of the bed and walked to what he assumed to be the window and pulled the curtains to the side to see outside.

"...What...? What the hell...?!" The sight that greeted him was not one he expected. His view showed that he was on a fairly elevated floor of whatever building he was in, and from it, he saw a number of things. Sleek car-looking vehicles were flying, sidewalk areas were large moving treadmills for faster walking, there were even TV screens in the shops he saw below that gave off holographic 3D effects.

As he watched the scene through the window Kainen started to nervously laugh. "...A dream. This is a dream. Yeah, it's gotta be. There's now way this could be real. I'll just pinch myself hard and I'll wak-YEOUCH!" He had attempted to wake himself by pinching his cheek, but all he had succeeded in doing was causing himself some pain. "...That hurt... But you can't feel pain in dreams, right? So then...this is real..."

"...oo much. He's probably still unconscious. I'm sure he's fine." Though it was slightly muffled, Kainen could hear a voice grow louder as it approached the room. This managed to finally pull his attention from the window and turn his gaze to the door.

"But he might be awake, right? He'd be lost and confused and probably crying for his mommy..." Another voice was heard alongside the first. The people they belonged to know each other.

"Don't be ridiculous. The guy is our age, not some little kid. You're stressing over it too much." The voices we really strong now. The two sounded like they were right outside his door. And for some reason, he kept getting this weird feeling he had heard them before from somewhere.

"I still don't think we should just leave him alone thou-" At that moment the door slid to the side, revealing who the two voices belonged to Kainen, and him to them. "-Ah! See? Look, Iffy! He is awake!" The person stepped inside followed by their companion. They were both girls roughly around his age. The first one who spoke had pink hair and eyes with a headband adorned with 'C'-looking attachment. She wore a pinkish wool sleeveless top with arm warmers to match and a choker with a heart on it, a red and black pleated skirt with some kind of phannypack matching the design of her headband and choker, black thigh-high leggings with leg warmers matching her top, and white shoes. The girl was practically the living personification of the word 'cutesy'.

"Well, I'll be. He really is awake. Now I'm glad I didn't take you up on that bet." The other girl had long brown hair with emerald green eyes. She had a leafy green ribbon tieing off a bit of her hair on her left side for a ponytail. She wore what looked to be a black and white one-piece suit covered by a mostly blue coat that looked a little too big for her and some boots matching her coat design. She largely appeared like some adventurer character from an RPG. "So what's the word, Nurse Compa? Is he going to be alright?"

"Oh, that's right! How do you feel, sir? Any aches or pains? Boo-boos that need bandaging? I am a nurse after all, so if anything is wrong please tell me and I'll fix you right up."

At this time Kainen's mind was going in so many directions at once. Iffy? Compa? Like...from the game? So was this Planeptune? And why were they asking about his condition? And how did he even get here? In situations like these, it was best to just take things one step at a time. "Uh, n-no, I'm alright. But I am pretty confused right now. Where exactly am I? And how did I get here?"

The pinkette stepped forward to answer his question. "You're in Planeptune's Basilicom. You were unconscious when we found you outside the city so we brought you to one of the spare rooms so you could rest. Wait. Do you have amnesia? Oh, you poor thing. It's just like it was with Nep-Nep."

Kainen began to shake his head against the girl's claims. "No, I remember my life just fine. It's just recent memory that's pretty fuzzy."

"That's not too surprising," the blue-clad girl spoke. "You did fall out of the sky after all. Honestly, I'd be more surprised if you actually knew where you were."

Kainen placed his right hand on his head as he tried to recall the memory. 'Fall out of the sky'? That did seem familiar. It was then that what had happened to him finally came back...

* * *

"...Whaat theee HEEEEELLL!?" A bright light was shining from his television, practically blinding Kainen. He also felt this strange pull towards it; almost as though he were losing touch with gravity. Wait...was the TV getting closer? No, he was actually falling _into_ it!

At first, he thought the frame of the TV would catch his shoulders or something since his screen was rather small, but as he drew closer space itself seemed to distort and he slipped in with ease. Not that he had much choice with gravity coming from the TV rather than the floor. Once inside he was falling through some kind of wormhole or vortex or something. Kind of like on that western TV show 'Professor Who'.

"Seriously, what's going on here!?" Kainen flailed around wildly as he spoke, hoping to catch...SOMETHING that might stop him from falling. As he fell strange streams of light or energy started to gather and wind around his body like ribbons. "What the-? Get off me!" The boy thrashed around attempting to shake off whatever began to cover him, but it was to no avail. Before long nearly his entire body was covered except for his head. Oddly enough it had left that part of him alone and everything it did cover had not impeded his movement for some reason.

"Great... This is it. This is where I die, isn't it? ...I'm too young to die! I wanna go home!" The light on his body began to glow and change shape somewhat. In quick, bright flashes the light dissipated throughout his body to reveal he now wore new clothes. He was now wearing a light-yellow V-neck t-shirt covered by a gray jacket with yellow lining. His legs now wore what appeared to be gray cargo pants and boots, also with yellow lining. His hands also now had gray fingerless gloves on them, but each one's design was different from the other. The right was just a plain glove while the left had some kind of circular shell or something on it surrounded by white lines that held a design similar to a circuit board.

"...Okay. Now I have new clothes. Not what I was expecting, but at least I'm not dead." Kainen looked ahead to notice the 'tunnel' he was in was nearing its end. Said end had another blinding light shining from it. He lifted his arms as a guard to shield his eyes as he quickly approached the light. Once the light had seemed to pass, he lowered his arms and opened his eyes to what lay before him.

Kainen opened his mouth comment on the sight, but the words failed to come out. There was a grand landscape before him. It was a beautiful place with clear fields, green forests, white mountains, and blue seas. He could even see what appeared to be the taller buildings of cities in the distance. The closest one he could make out seemed to have a futuristic design and...was getting closer?

"Oh... Right." Until that moment the boy was so lost in the view that he forgot the most important thing that was happening. He was still falling from the sky! Kainen began making all kinds of motions to try to slow his fall. He looked around hoping the was something to save him from deathly plummet only to find nothing. He attempted to use his new jacket as some kind of chute or glider, but to no avail. He even started to flap his arms wildly like a bird. A big, featherless, flightless bird.

The ground started to get closer and closer now. It appeared as though he was going to land just outside the futuristic city. Life sure liked throwing him curveballs and this one was about to kill him. Good-bye, cruel world. "...oooohhhh crrRRRRAAAAAAAPP!"

* * *

His memory of his arrival stopped there. That must have been when he landed and the impact knocked him out. He was still surprised to be unharmed. At the very least he should have a number of broken bones if not be a complete pancake. Did they use some kind of magic or advanced technology to fix him? He soon shook those thoughts from his mind. Better to not look a gift horse in the mouth.

The girl in blue stepped forward as she spoke. "Well, since you seem to be alright, let go ahead and get introductions out of the way. My name's IF."

"And my name is Compa. It's nice to meet you." The pink wearing girl calling herself Compa bowed politely as she introduced herself.

"Oh. I'm, uhh..." He was about to tell them his name but had to stop himself. Were these two really IF and Compa? Was he really in Planeptune? In Gamindustri? Why was he here to begin with? There was so many things he didn't know or was sure of. Until he knew more it might be best to go by a fake name. "...Zenotyne..." he mumbled to himself at first. "My name is Zenotyne. But just call me Zeno."

Zenotyne was a name Kainen came up with in his childhood. He had a dream to make his own comic and it was the name of the main character thinking it sounded cool. Eventually, he gave up on the comic idea since his art skill was a little below the acceptable par, but the name stuck in the back of his mind.

"Zeno, huh?" IF began. "Nice to meet you. Now I'm sure you've got a lot of questions, but first, we need you to meet one other person. We'll be outside when you're ready."

"We left your clothes on top of the dresser," Compa said as she pointed towards it. "Just let us know if you need anything, Mister Zenotyne." Compa followed behind IF out the door after giving 'Zeno' a friendly smile and a wave. The boy examined himself to notice he was no longer wearing his shirt, jacket, and footwear. They must have taken them off him before putting him into the bed. At least they didn't strip him down to his underwear. THAT would've been embarrassing. The weird thing was that they only took off the right glove. The left was still on his hand for some reason. He'd have to ask about that later.

Kainen, now calling himself Zenotyne, gathered and re-clothed himself before stepping out of the room to meet with IF and Compa. The two girls led him down the hall to an elevator. He had a number of questions he wanted to ask, but if they were taking him to who he suspected they were he would get his answers soon enough. After riding the elevator to one of the top floors, they led him down another hall to a large metal door. There was a guard on each side of the door.

"I'm IF from the Guild, and this is Compa," the girl stated to the guardsman while holding up an ID badge. "We have level S clearance. This person is with us, so let him in, too." The guard responded by nodding and then stepping to the side, revealing a couple of wall mounted devices they were blocking. IF placed her hand on the pad while leveling her eyes with the other device. The devices then began scanning her hand and eyes with purple lights. Once finished the red light above the door turned green and the large mechanical door began to open.

"What's with all the security here?" Kainen had to ask. As much as he loved the Neptunia games, they never revealed much into the inner workings of the Basilicoms. Naturally, his curiosity was piqued now that he was getting an in-depth look.

Compa turned to Zeno with her trademark sweet smile. "This room is special. Only me, Iffy, and a few others are allowed inside."

"And you're letting me inside? Why? You guys have only just met me."

"You're a special case," IF answered. "Plus the person you need to meet is inside anyway, so we kind of have to." The three stepped inside the room with the door closing behind them. It was pitch black inside but soon parts of the room started to light up. Where they stood on the floor was lit up by a hexagonal grid, lines of various lights streamed up and down the walls in a circuit board fashion, and scattered lights of numbers alternating between one and zero could be found appearing and disappearing throughout the room. The most notable light in the room was emanating from the center. There was what appeared to a floating crystalline object shaped like a power symbol giving off a gentle light. One again Zenotyne found himself speechless at the view before him.

"Greetings, young traveler." The voice shook Zeno from his stupor and he started to look around for the source. He noticed IF and Compa had looked upward and followed their gazes. A being began descending from above. A small being. About the size of a toddler. Once they were close enough he could make them out. The person appeared to be a small girl sitting atop an open floating book. She had blonde hair with a couple of pigtails adorned with a white headdress with a purple 'N' in the center and blue eyes. She wore a purple sailor style dress with sleeves separated from the main piece and a bluish-green tie along with white shoes and knee-high socks. She also had a pair of fairy wings that appeared to be of pure energy rather than being physical. Once she had reached eye level with everyone she gave a light bow before continuing. "My apologies for the abruptness. I am Histoire, the Oracle of Planeptune. I welcome you to Planeptune, and to the world of Gamindustri itself."

* * *

 **And there we go. It's already over 2.5K words so I'll end this chapter here.**

 **Some of you may have already noticed the change, but because of it's length I decided to change the prologue to the starting chapter. Figured it would make things a little easier that way.**

 **I realize some of you might think this is moving along a little slowly, but remember: this fic only just started. Give it some time. It'll pick up. The next chapter will explain Kainen's reason for being sent to Gamidustri. If it's not already too long by that point I'll try to fit in a little fighting, too, but we'll see.**

 **Till then, I'll catch you guys later. Zeno out!**


	3. Chapter 3: Welcome to Gamindustri

**DISCLAIMER**

 **Hyperdimension Neptunia is owned by Idea Factory, Compile Heart, and all other official parties involved with the Neptunia series.**

 **I own NOTHING.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER THREE**

 **WELCOME TO GAMINDUSTRI**

"I welcome you to Planeptune, and to the world of Gamindustri itself."

Well, that pretty much settled it. He may not want to admit it, but Zeno was definitely in Gamindustri now. Between seeing Planeptune itself and meeting IF and Compa, the boy still wasn't sure what to believe. But Histoire's greeting erased any doubt from his mind. Despite her mature and polite demeanor, Zeno could feel the seriousness she was trying to cover. But knowing her, she would be sure to explain everything he wanted to know.

"My name is Zenotyne, Miss Histoire." The boy bowed as he introduced himself to the fairy girl.

"It is a pleasure to make you acquaintance, Zenotyne. And please, there is no need for formality. We have already inconvenienced you enough summoning you here. Speaking of which, I am grateful for answering my request." Request? What was she talking about? Zeno crossed his arms and tilted his head as he tried to think back. Before long the memory of what happened before he was sent here came forward in his mind.

"Wait a minute! That weird message on my TV. That was you?" As he spoke Zeno pointed an accusing finger at Histoire.

"Yes. Our situation left us with little choice but to find 'outside help' to aid us. Truthfully, I was afraid you would decline my request for help. But I am glad that was not the case, and you have my gratitude for that."

"OK... But why do you need my help? If something's threatening Gamindustri can't you have Neptune and the other CPUs handle it? Sure, they're a little eccentric sometimes, but-"

"They're gone," IF interrupted. Zeno turned a confused look towards her. "They all took off to deal with it about three months ago. We never heard back from them."

"We don't know where they went," Compa chimed in with an uncharacteristically worried expression. "We want to help Nep-Nep and Ge-Ge and all the others, but we don't have any idea where they might be, so all we could do was wait..."

"They would sometimes disappear for a few days while they worked on it in the past, but when it turned into weeks we started to get worried. On top of that, we still had our own issues to deal with keeping things in order here. It was almost like it was when we were dealing with ASIC again, so we knew things were bad and needed help."

"Issues...?" Zenotyne brought his finger and thumb to his chin as he pondered IF's words. He then turned to the fairy. "Histoire, what exactly has happened here?" The fairy closed her eyes and remained silent for a moment before opening them once more as she began to recount the events.

"About six months ago, a large energy spike was detected as it echoed to all corners of Gamindustri. The energy vanished as quickly as it appeared and as it seemed nothing ill had come of it, much of the world chose to forget it had ever happened. Everything continued as normal. However, this false peace did not last.

Before long, there were reports of strange monsters throughout the world. Some areas even had strange objects and buildings that weren't there before. The CPUs investigated these occurrences, yet they found no answers as to where they came from. Some of these strange new monsters were too much even for the CPUs."

"Yeah, I've heard reports about those at the Guild," IF said. "From what I've heard, some of these monsters have ironclad defenses no one can beat. Others say some seemed to be able to heal themselves completely in just a few seconds. Powerful attacks, magic, one-hit-kill moves; nothing worked."

"I even heard about one of these monsters from a patient once," Compa added. "He was a veteran adventurer. The monster he found wasn't very strong, so it was easy for him to beat. The scary part though is that every time he defeated it, it just brought itself back to life. No matter what he did it wouldn't stay down. Eventually, his friends had to drag him away to the hospital when he was too injured to keep fighting."

Zeno was shocked to hear this news. "What!? It could auto-rez?" He played the Neptunia games a lot. While he never went too deep into the higher level challenges, he knew for a fact there was never an enemy that was like that in any of the games. Some monsters had some health regeneration or high defense, but this could always be beaten with some extra leveling or special moves. But auto-rezing? NO enemy was capable of that.

"Sadly, yes," Histoire confirmed. "Monsters such as these can be found all over Gamindustri. Thankfully they have chosen to remain away from civilization, but we do not know how long this will continue."

"Just what are these monsters?" The boy asked.

Histoire could only shake her head in disappointment. "We do not know. All we know is that their very existence is breaking the balance of Gamindustri's natural laws. As such, we have come to call these kinds of monsters as 'Broken'. Thankfully, the Broken can be identified by their appearance. According to eyewitnesses, most broken, for whatever reason, seem to have difficulty maintaining a constant appearance. Parts of their bodies briefly disappear occasionally or are covered by a strange pattern of some kind that is obviously not part of their natural appearance."

"I assume that's what you called me here for; to deal with these Broken in place of the CPUs. But that just leads to the big question: Why me? And how do you expect me to stop these 'unbeatable' monsters?"

With that question sent her way, Histoire finally smiled again. "In order to answer that question, may I ask that please look at your left hand?" Confused, Zenotyne brought his left hand up in front of himself. He had figured there was some reason as to why the gloves were different from one another, and it looked like he was about to get the explanation he wanted. "That is no ordinary glove you wear. That is the Moderator Tool known as the 'D-Loader'. It is said that the Moderator Tools have the power to restore balance to Gamindustri should the unexplainable ever threaten it."

"The...D-Loader?"

"Yep," IF says. "Supposedly, the Moderator Tools, or 'Mods' for short, have the ability to change Gamindutri's 'rules'. What exactly those changes are depends on the user. We believe the D-Loader can be used on the monsters to fix whatever's wrong with them, if not get rid of them entirely."

"Okay..." Zeno said as he took this new information in. "But that still doesn't explain why it has to be me. Wouldn't it be better used by someone who knows more about it? Like you, IF?"

IF then lets out a sigh. "If only it were that simple..." The girl shrugs with a defeated tone as she says this.

"Unfortunately, that is not possible," says Histoire. "For the sake of Gamindutri's own safety, the Moderator Tools cannot be used by people from this world in order to prevent their misuse." Then what was the point of them even existing? Before Zenotyne could ask she continued. "It has been known for some time now between the CPUs and myself that happenings in our world influenced certain ones in another world. We believed only beings from that world could use the Moderator Tools. The fact that the D-Loader appeared on your hand when you entered Gamindustri is proof of this. And only those who hold a certain connection with Gamindustri can hope to cross the boundaries between the worlds. Even then, the journey must be of their own free will."

That explains a lot. Zeno's fondness of the Neptunia games must have been the connection Histoire was talking about. Histoire's message on his TV must have been her reaching out, but it was his choice whether or not to take it. Well, we all know how that played out. "Alright, I think I got it," the started. "But just to be sure, even though I'm the only one who can use this what's to stop someone from taking it away from me?"

"You don't have to worry about that," said Compa with her signature smile. "It looks like it's stuck to your hand. We tried to remove it when we put you to bed, but no matter how much we pulled and tugged it wouldn't come off. I think you might be stuck with it until you leave."

"...WHAT!?" Zenotyne frantically started to try to take the glove off. It appeared what Compa said was true. He couldn't even slip a finger under it. It was almost as though it had been super glued to his skin or something. It was nice to know no one could steal it from him, but having it on ALL the time would make him uncomfortable at times.

"Whoa, take it easy there, champ," said IF. "If you keep going at it like that you're liable to hurt yourself." Zeno kept trying for a little while but he soon saw the fruitlessness of his efforts. This was just something he was going to have to deal with. He stopped to think for a bit before speaking.

"So I think I get why you guys called me here but I don't think it's a good idea to try to do this on our own. Where was the last known place the CPUs were? Maybe we can find them if we-"

"That won't work either," IF interrupted. "Nep and the others were tailing some strange energy. We think they might have chased it underground somewhere around their last known position. We would've sent someone to check it out, but the place is crawling with strong monsters and Broken. None of us would stand a chance without at least one of the CPUs. Not to mention the subterranean levels in that area are largely unexplored. We'd probably get lost and never come out if we don't have something to go on."

"Well then..." Zeno thought to himself for a moment before continuing. "What about the CPU's in the other Gamindustri? Maybe we can get their help?" Unfortunately, Histoire shot that down by shaking hear head.

"Unfortunately, that is not possible at present. The appearance of the Broken have destabilized the synchronization of the dimensions and closed the doorway between them. In order to open it for them to come here, or for us to go there, it is required that the Planeptunes of both worlds have a significant amount of shares."

"Ever since the Broken started appearing," Compa began, "Planeptune has been losing more and more shares. It only got worse when Nep-Nep and Ge-Ge disappeared."

"You can say that again," IF added. "It's taking everything we have just to hold on to the few shares we have left. Getting more is almost impossible at this point without their help."

"So it really is up to me then..." Inwardly, Zenotyne was despairing at this news. Unbeatable monsters, no Neptune or Nepgear, none of the other CPUs or CPU Candidates, and they couldn't even call for help. It kept looking more and more like the situation was unwinnable. Was their only hope truly the device or whatever it was on his hand? There was only one way to find out. "I guess I better get started then. Histy, how do I work this thing?"

"I am currently running a search on the D-Loader now," the fairy girl replied, "But I fear it will take another three days before I have anything substantial. Also, I do not know how I feel about being referred to as 'Histy' from a new face so soon."

"Why? You're the one who said I didn't have to be formal. And 'Histy' is so much easier to say anyway." At this point, the boy was just poking fun at her. If he was going to be stuck here until he fixed their problem he might as well get some laughs out of it along the way. And three days? Yeah, that was typical Histy alright. "Anyway, you guys got any spare weapons anywhere? If I'm gonna be fighting monsters in this world I'll need to be able to defend myself."

"Now _that's_ what I wanted to hear," IF said in response. It looked like Zeno's willingness to fight lit a fire in her. "I got some Credits I saved up. We'll get you something from the local shop. Histoire, keep an eye on things for us while we're out. It's time to find out what our 'hero' can do."

Histoire responded by saying,"I shall let you know as soon as I learn anything about the D-Loader. I wish you luck in your endeavors." The trio said their goodbyes to Histoire, Compa also gave a wave which Histy reciprocated, and headed back towards where the door was. Zeno could only smirk as he walked. He had always wanted to be a hero, and now he was going to get his chance. And in Gamindustri no less! He could already tell there was an epic journey ahead of him and he couldn't help but be excited about it. He wondered if this was how Neptune felt at the beginning of her adventures, but this train of thought soon turned towards what weapon he might find for himself.

* * *

Zenotyne, IF, and Compa had headed out of the city after purchasing a weapon for Zeno. Their destination was the ol' Virtua Forest. It wasn't too far from the city and the monsters were pretty weak. It was perfect to get a firsthand feel for battle. He did kendo for a bit at school, but he had a tendency to break some of the basic rules, forcing him to quit.

As they walked into the forest, a thought occurred to Zenotyne. "Uh hey, IF? Not to sound paranoid or anything, but we're not gonna run into one of those Broken out here, are we?"

"Don't worry," she answered. "The Broken generally stay in areas with more powerful monsters. I guess they feel better in a pack or something. They might wander somewhere else sometimes but they never come this close to the city so we should be okay." Just then they found a small group of Dogoos. "There we go. I think those will be a good start. All right mister 'hero', show us what you got!"

Zeno had a big smirk on his face. His first real fight. He was a little nervous, but that paled in comparison to the excitement. Eager to get started, the boy held his right arm straight in front of him with his hand open. What looked like pixels started appearing and forming something in his hand. In a small flash of light, the pixels transformed into a solid object quickly followed by him grabbing it and swinging it to the side. He now held in his hand a one-handed sword: his purchase from the shop. It had a relatively simple design: a standard metal blade with the corner points protruding a little for emphasis on shape that also had a rapier-style guard around the grip. Conveniently enough it also had a slight color setup similar to his outfit. Shifting into his ready stance, the boy's smirk became a grin. "I've got a feeling this is going be fun."

Zenotyne rushed forward poised to strike as soon as one of them was in range. The Dogoos noticed their new threat and scattered so he couldn't get them all at once. Compa started to go in, too but was stopped by IF putting an arm in front of her. This was a test. They had to know what he was capable of on his own. If they helped him so soon they wouldn't get a good look at his starting potential. Compa didn't like the idea of playing spectator while her friend was fighting, but she understood what IF was trying to do and stayed out of the battle.

Being a simple man, Zeno went after the simplest choice of his opponents: the one that was closest. Once he was in range the boy raised his sword and made a downward strike on the helpless Dogoo, knocking it a few feet away. A one-hit kill! ...Wait...no, it got back up. He was a little upset he hadn't defeated it with that blow. Then again, he only just started his journey. It would lose it's epicness if it was so easy from the beginning. Pressing the assault, Zeno closed in while making a few more attacks. After a few blows, the Dogoo burst into tiny little pixels before vanishing. One down, two to go.

After watching their comrade disappear, the remaining two Dogoos started hopping toward Zeno. "Oh, gonna double-team me, eh? Fine, I'll take that challenge. Bring it!" Charging forward, he readied for another strike. He stepped to the side a little, putting one behind the other from him, so they couldn't flank him. The moment the front one was in reach he made an upward slash. The blow connected and he followed it up with two more slashes in an 'X' pattern. It was enough to defeat it, leaving only one left.

However, the last one caught him by surprise. Just after the first became pixels the second jumped through the 'cloud' to smack Zeno right in the face. It had about the impact of being hit by a five-year-old. It didn't really hurt that much but the fact that it actually hit him briefly stunned and brought him out his battle high. He soon regained his senses and the grin was replaced with a scowl. "Why you... you're gonna pay for that one!" Before the poor Dogoo had finished coming down from its attack Zeno used his free hand to punch it to the ground. He followed it up with a kick, sending it back up, and finished the combo by gripping the sword with both hands and striking downwards, cleaving the Dogoo clean in two before it disappeared.

And that was three. Content with his first victory Zenotyne flipped the sword into reverse-grip before stabbing it into the ground next to him and flashed the girls a confident grin. He always did want to do that little pose, so of course he took advantage of the situation. The girls approached him with their own responses. Compa was lightly clapping for his win while IF had her arms crossed with a satisfied smile.

"Not too bad," IF said. "Looks like you know how to handle yourself all right. You got a little overconfident there near the end, but I this will work."

"You were really cool." Zeno started to scratch his cheek in embarrassment at Compa's compliment. "But make sure to be careful. Just let me know when you get hurt and I'll be sure to treat you. Okay, Ze-Ze?" At that instant, the boy's mind completely petrified. 'Ze-Ze'? Freakin' _'Ze-Ze'_?! In a single instant, she had taken a name he thought sounded cool for years and turned it into something cutesy. He could feel his pride crumbling away.

"But don't go relaxing just yet." IF's words brought Zeno out of his stupor as he focused on her. IF led them down a pathway and stopped when a few more groups of monsters were in view. "All right. You've shown us how good you are by yourself." IF then crossed her arms out if front of her. Pixels started forming where her hands would be under her sleeves before they formed her twin katar. "Now let's see how well you work with a party." Zeno smirk returned as the excitement came back. The two readied themselves for their next fight as Compa brought out her syringe to help.

Yesterday might have been crappy, but today was turning out to be a field day.

* * *

 **And there we go. A little longer than I intended, but it works for me and that's what counts.**

 **Stay tuned for the next chapter folks, cause that's when things will really heat up.**

 **Until then, I'll catch you all later. Zeno out!**


	4. Chapter 4: Data Break

**DISCLAIMER**

 **Hyperdimension Neptunia is owned by Idea Factory, Compile Heart, and all other official parties involed with the Neptunia series.**

 **I own NOTHING**.

* * *

 **CHAPTER FOUR**

 **DATA BREAK**

Zenotyne, IF, and Compa had just returned to Planeptune City from their trip to the Virtua Forest. The latter two had their usual faces on, but Zeno, on the other hand, had his arms tucked behind his head with his eyes skyward as he thought to himself. They did a fair bit of grinding in the forest but there was never any notifications of battle victories, item drops, or even any level gains. Even the battles themselves played out in real time rather than the turn system he saw in the games. He figured what he saw must have been the game's way of showing what happened to whoever was in the 'player' position while it was perceived differently to those who were actually there. It put an interesting twist to what he knew of the Neptunia world, but it also meant he couldn't rely on his memory for half of the world and its workings. He essencially was going to have to learn from scratch all over again and that idea sort of demotivated him.

"Is something wrong, Ze-Ze?" asked a slightly worried Compa. "You've been pretty quiet since we got back. Is something bothering you?" Again with the nickname... He wanted to ask her not to call him that, but he knew she was like Neptune in that regard. Once a nickname has been set it sticks. It was just something he was going to have to get used to.

"It's nothing, Compa. Just thinking is all," the boy responded.

"Getting homesick already? It looked like you were enjoying yourself here to me," IF said in a snarky tone. She was clearly poking fun at him. She may be a serious cynic most of the time, but she always seems to know how to make small jabs at people at the right moment.

"No, not really. I mean, I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss it some, but that's not what on my mind. It's just I was expecting certain things when I came here but they never happened. I guess things just work out differently depending on which side of the screen your on. I mean, how do you guys know when you've become stronger after a fight or when important stuff is happening around town or something?"

"When we've gotten stronger? Let's see... How can I explain it?"

"It's like a 'Whoosh', and then a 'Zing', and a 'Ka-pow' happening all at once inside!" Zeno could only give a surprised stare at Compa's sudden and strange example alongside IF. Seriously, what was that about?"

"...Huh? Where did that come from, Compa?"

"When Ze-Ze asked I started thinking about how Nep-Nep might say it and that was what came to mind. Though looking back now I guess it doesn't really make much sense, hee-hee..." Compa then embarrassedly stuck out her tongue. Zenotyne and IF also gave their own nervous laughs. Yeah, that sounds like how Neptune might put it after all. Compa must really miss her if she's making those kinds of references. Still didn't really answer his question, though.

"Joking aside, it's kind of something you just know. I guess the best was to describe it would be like... You feel a sudden surge of energy from somewhere and you feel like you can keep going for a while. It's not overwhelming or anything, but it does kind of make you feel like you caught your second wind." Zeno put a hand to his chin as he thought about this. He actually did feel that way a couple of times while he was in the Virtua Forest so maybe he actually did gain a few levels game wise? Too bad it didn't seem like he could check his stats or anything.

"Speaking of expectations," IF started, "When I heard you were coming from another world I kind of expected you to panic for a while before we could start actually doing anything. But you're taking everything pretty smoothly. It's kind of surprising, really."

"Well, I was pretty worried when I first got here," Zeno said. "Especially during that whole falling from the sky bit. But you see... I've always kind of admired this world from my side. I've always wondered what it would be like to live here: fighting monsters, meeting the CPUs, and all kinds of other stuff. So coming here is kind of like a dream come true for me. By the way, how did I survive that fall anyway? I must have been at least 10,000 feet in the air when I first came through the portal!"

"Good question. Maybe we can ask Histoire next time we see her. She'll probably know. She is the one who summoned you here, after all." Zeno nodded in agreement and the three continued walking towards their destination: the Guild.

* * *

As the three friends walked through the Guild's doors Zeno couldn't help but look about. It was nothing too surprising. It looked like a big office lobby with this one wall having a bunch of postings on it. Some people were in front of it looking at the postings, but for the most part, it seemed to be empty aside from the personnel.

"That's the 'Request Board'," IF said to Zeno. Looked like she already picked up on what he was thinking about. "Any requests made by the populace that's been approved by the Guild gets posted there. Adventurers, bounty hunters, and all those types pick jobs from the board and go out and fulfill them. In exchange, they get Credits and items as payment. Depending on the job they can even alter the shares between Planeptune and the other nations." It was pretty much what he expected once IF told him what it was. The real question was why were so many job postings and so few people taking them?

"But hardly anyone does any of that anymore," Compa said. Uh-oh, she wasn't smiling. That's never a good sign. "Ever since the Broken started appearing, it's been too dangerous to do most jobs, so a lot of people just do the ones in places where they haven't been seen yet." That explains it. Can't finish your job if you've got an unbeatable monster blocking you from reaching your quota.

"Do you think there are any jobs left that won't be too dangerous, IF?" IF eyed Zeno questioningly at his request. "It's just, you guys spent most of your Credits on my equipment and some items. I'd like to repay you guys for that, but we didn't get very much from the Virtua Forest and I don't know where everything is or how dangerous it is. Plus, I'm still just a beginner when it comes to fighting anyway."

"I guess that makes sense," she responded. "It'll probably still be a while before Histoire can tell us how the D-Loader works anyway, so we might as well find us something to do in the meantime." Zeno and Compa nodded in agreement and they walked over to the board. The three started skimming through the selection. Zeno mostly eyeballed what they were since he didn't know things too well, but it doesn't hurt to try to get an early understanding of certain places and requests.

"Oh! How about this one, Iffy?" Compa took one down and handed it to IF. She took a moment to look it over but soon shook her head.

"I don't think that's a good idea. The monsters we need to beat for this one are pretty strong, and Zeno here is still learning. It's better we stay away from there for now." IF handed the paper back to Compa to put back on the board. Taking a stab in the dark, Zeno grabbed a request that was just for gathering certain items. IF stepped over to look at it but again shot it down. "The monsters there aren't too bad if you know what you're doing, but there's been sightings of Broken there. Best to avoid any place with those hanging around. Besides, look at the pay. The item's not bad, but the Credits are a complete rip-off." She was right. The item was a mid-level healing item, but the pay was merely 300 Credits. The nerve!

The three continued searching for a while. Compa tried a few more requests, but there was always something off about the request or location that she had to shoot down. Taking another shot at his luck Zeno grabbed another request. "How about this one?" It was another gather request in a location aptly named the 'Monster Cave'. IF took some time to look it over before a smile finally graces her face.

"Hey, this one's not too bad. The pay's all right, the monsters aren't too tough, and last I heard there haven't been any Broken seen near there. It also looks like we might be able to bring up Planeptune's shares a little with this. Nice work, Zeno. Looks like we got us a winner here."

"Hooray! You found us a job, Ze-Ze!" He was happy to hear Compa's compliment, but inside the boy was crying. She meant no harm, but he was clearly not going to get away from that nickname. Who knows? Maybe one day he might come to enjoy it? That thought actually made him cringe a little. Hopefully, that day would never come.

* * *

The three had been walking around the Monster Cave for about half an hour. The monsters were stronger than what he faced at the Virtua Forest, but he could handle them with help from his friends. He also felt like he understood better was talking about before. Having experienced the sensation a few more times, he now felt like he knew what it meant to 'level up'. The items they needed for the request was a 'Rainbow Rock' and they had already found three of them. All they needed was one more and they could head back.

Compa was in a chipper mood holding the stones and humming to herself as Zenotyne and IF walked ahead of her. Zeno stretched his arms in the air as he spoke. "When we get back, let's grab us some grub. I'm starving after all that fighting."

"Good idea," IF said. "I'm getting kind of hungry myself. We just need to find that last item before we can go home."

As they walked by a fork in the path, Compa took a quick glance down the route they weren't taking and spoke up, "Hey, Iffy! Ze-Ze! Look! I think I found it!" Giddy as a school girl, Compa ran down the path while the other two were forced to double back to keep up. She led them into a chamber where there was something against the far wall on the ground. It turned out to be what they were looking for. "See? Now we have all we need!"

"Nice work, Compa," IF complemented. "Now we can head for the ex-" IF was interrupted by the area rumbling for a moment. The rumbling continued every other second and grew louder each time as the three turned toward the sound which seemed to be coming from their only exit from the cavern.

"Bag the item and get out your weapon, Compa," said Zenotyne. "I'd say we got ourselves some company." Compa nodded and did as he suggested while the other two pulled out their own weapons. He kinda felt like he was taking a page from Neptune's book with the thought, but did finding that last item trigger some kind of boss fight? The boy started to get excited all over again. He might be getting a real test of his abilities now and he couldn't wait to try it.

Soon they saw the source of the rumbling start stepping around the corner. So far they only saw the head and upper body from the left side, but that alone was enough for IF to identify it. "An Ancient Dragon. This might be a little tough, but if we work together we can-" IF statement was cut off as the dragon turned its head toward the group and her expression turned to one of horror.

As the right side of the head became visible it became clear what scared IF so much. All along the right side of the dragon's head ran red lines that seemed to be in a circuit fashion. As the beast stepped more into the open, also blocking their only escape route, more of it was shone to be different. Parts of the left wing were also covered in these lines, as well as the right foot and hand. It was for a mere second, but the right wing looked as though it had been obscured by static on a TV or something. This same effect could be seen on other parts of the body as well from time to time. To top it off, this one seemed a fair bit larger than the normal ones Zeno saw in the games.

"I-IF...Is that...what I think it is...?" All the excitement the boy felt prior had now been replaced with dread. He starting inching backward, his instincts screaming for him to run away. The problem was that they were trapped. There was nowhere to run.

"Khh...! I'm afraid so..." As IF spoke she repositioned her stance to a defensive one. She was trying to act tough, but her body trembled with fear betraying her intentions. "...It's a Broken!" By this point, the monster was completely in view, and it had the three of them right in its sights! The Ancient Dragon let out a roar at them. Though they braced themselves, the monster's roar had enough for to push them all back a bit.

"W-w-wh..what do we do, Iffy?" Compa was completely terrified. Her legs wouldn't stop shaking; almost as though they could give out from under her at any moment. With each large but slow step, the monster drew closer, shaking the ground.

"...I hate to say it, but we're gonna have to fight." Zeno and Compa looked shocked at IF's suggestion. "But only for a bit! Right now that oversized lizard is blocking our only exit. We need to lure it deeper into this area where there's more room. We might be able to circle around and make a run for it. That's just about our only hope." The dragon had reached the mouth of the cavern and stopped it's advance. It then reared back it's head. Zeno was confused at first but then realized dragons only had one reason to make that motion.

"Everyone, quick! Dodge to the sides!" No sooner had he said that the dragon thrust its head forward again, opening its mouth and releasing a fireball aimed at them. Thankfully his warning was well received and everyone managed to get out of the way as the attack collided with the back wall. Still, that was bad news. If they could already be hit with ranged attacks playing the waiting game for it to get closer was out of the question. They were going to have to go on the offensive and bait it. "OK, here's the plan, guys: I'm gonna try to keep it focused on me and lure it in! Compa! Aim for the eyes once I get close! Try to keep it from getting a bead on me! IF! Once we got it in enough start going at its legs! Take out its mobility! Once we got an opening we run for it! You got that?!"

The girls were a little surprised. Sure it wasn't much, but in a such a short amount of time he had already come up with a plan for them to escape. It was a simple plan, but a plan nonetheless. They nodded to him and readied themselves for the fight ahead. "All right then, let's go!"

True to his plan, Zenotyne rushed towards the monster. It turned its head to face Zeno directly. Good. He had its attention. Next came the hard part. As he approached it the dragon it reared back for another fireball attack a quickly released it. The wall next to Zeno wasn't too steep and so he ran along it as best he could out of the fireball's blast radius. Little pink pellets of... _something_ could then be seen hitting the Ancient Dragon's face. Compa was trying to hit its eyes with her syringe...gun... _thing_ but with the distance that was hard. Flames started to sneak out of the sides of the dragon's mouth. It was readying another fireball, this time it was aimed at Compa!

"EYES ON ME, IGUANA BREATH!" Zeno had leapt off the wall and was almost in slashing range. As he drew closer he starting spinning himself, hoping to use the momentum for a deeper, stronger cut. Kind of like on that TV show he saw, 'Attack on Giant'. And it worked like a charm. The blade impacted the chest just next to the shoulder and he rode the slash all the way down the body for a really big cut. The blow interrupted the dragon's fireball attack forcing it to refocus back onto Zeno. It attempted to crush him underfoot once he was on the ground but its movements were too slow and he backed off out of the way.

Maybe this thing wasn't so tough after all. A few more moves like that and perhaps they could bring it down? Unfortunately, that thought was immediately silenced. The dragon briefly gave off a faint, green glow as the wound Zeno inflicted quickly closed up. This was bad. Really bad. Maybe it wasn't immortal, but that super-regen healed far more that they could ever deal out. This fight truly was unwinnable. Guess it was back to the original plan.

Thankfully the Broken started to step toward Zeno, trying to close the gap. Good, it was taking the bait. He just needed to lure it in more and they could escape. The dragon reared its left claw and made a swipe at the boy. Its arm movements seemed to be faster than its legs but Zeno was quick enough to evade the attack. Just as the swipe missed him Zeno made his own strike at the dragon's arm. He knew it would heal itself but the goal was to hold aggro, not deal damage. This game of cat and mouse continued with Compa giving support occasionally.

Before long the Broken was far enough inside the cavern for them to start making their escape. "Compa! I'm going in! Head for the exit; we'll catch up!" Compa nodded as IF rushed in. While Zeno had its attention she started slashing at its feet like he suggested. Unfortunately, it wasn't working out. Sure her attacks were connecting, but every few seconds it would heal itself completely. The super-regen was Zeno's one oversight in his plan. Any damage or debilitating effects on it mean nothing if it will just heal itself right after.

IF was little more than an annoying fly buzzing around its feet and the Broken had had enough. The dragon raised its claw for another swipe at Zeno but changed its target at the last second to IF. She attempted to jump out of reach but acted too late. The impact of the swatting dragon's hand sent IF flying towards the wall and impacted it just in front of Compa before she could reach the passageway. IF tried to get up from the ground but was too hurt to even get off her knees. Compa reached into her bag for a healing item, but things went from bad to worse. Flames started coming out of the dragon's mouth again. It was going to blast them both at once.

"I SAID I'M YOUR OPPONENT, BASTARD!" Zenotyne started hopping up whatever ledge he could on the dragon making slashes along the way. His provocations were successful as the monster abandoned its fire breath attack and went back to trying to hit Zeno. Unfortunately this time one of the attacks managed to graze his backside and that alone did massive damage. Reeling from the pain, Zeno couldn't react to the next strike. The blow sent him to the far wall and it looked like the dragon wasn't quite done. Zeno could barely manage to put his friends into his view as he struggled to get himself off the ground.

 _Compa... IF..._

"Oh, no! Iffy, look!"

"N-no... Not him... He's our only hope... We can't lose him...!"

 _That's right... They need me... This world needs me..._

Flames came from the dragon's mouth once more. Why bother wasting time and energy getting closer to finish an enemy when one can do so from afar?

 _I can't lose here... I won't lose here...!_

Using his sword as a crutch, Zeno barely had managed to bring himself to his feet but lacked the strength to take even a single step. It was through sheer force of will that he could even stand.

 _I won't abandon my friends... I will stop this..._

The shell on the back of Zenotyne's D-Loader then began to rotate. It started slow but it began to pick up speed as it went. Meanwhile, the Ancient Dragon released the fireball it had prepared. Its target: Zenotyne. And it was closing in fast.

 _I will save them...! This world...!_

"Zeno!"

"Ze-Ze!"

 _Even if...even if it means..._

The D-Loader was now rotating at a very fast rate and glowing now, while the attack was but a few feet away from him.

 _...I have to **BREAK THE RULES!**_

Impact. The area around Zeno was enveloped in smoke. IF and Compa had looks of absolute horror. IF was completely frozen in place, unable to even breathe. Compa had her hands over her mouth with her eyes quickly tearing up. The Broken kept eyeing the smoke for a bit before starting to turn to the girls to finish them off. Flames started to spill from its mouth once more and the girls were barely able to look towards their imminent doom. It appeared as though this was the end of their adventures.

CLANG! The noise caught the attention of all three of them. CLANG! The flames stopped spewing as the dragon as well as the girls looked towards where the source seemed to be coming from. CLANG! The origin of the sound came from where the dragon's last attack hit Zenotyne. Did he...? CLANG!

"This is the last time I'm gonna say it." A shadowy figure could be seen emerging from the smoke. The first thing to come forward was an arm holding a sword. The weapon looked similar to Zeno's but its shape was a little different and it was a little larger, as well as the color coordination being black and red rather than gray and yellow. The weapon was held in reverse grip with the point being toward the ground. CLANG! The arm thrust the sword the sword onto the rock floor of the cave making the sound they were hearing. The holder seemed to be using it akin to a walking stick to intentionally gain attention with the noise.

"Your god damn opponent..." The rest of the figure finally stepped forward from the smoke. IF and Compa couldn't believe what they were seeing. "...Is me." It really was Zeno! But... he looked different. And all signs of him being injured before were gone. His weapon, his outfit, even his hair had changed. His hair had changed to white and now had a sort of wild, slightly spiky style, hiding his eyes in shadow. While certain parts maintained the yellow lining, his outfit had changed to the same red and black color scheme of the sword. His pants and shirt had become black, the shoes were now red with steel toes, but the jacket had become blood red with the belt parts of it being black. The jacket was also longer now, debatably like a trenchcoat, and the two belt pieces on the back extended off the jacket to for a pair of 'tails' dangling behind him. But the most notable thing was his left arm. The D-Loader now appeared to be like a gauntlet of sorts covering the forearm of his jacket sleeve and on the back of the hand was a glowing red light.

Flames started to spew from the dragon's mouth once more. Clearly, it wanted to end this quickly. He may have escaped one blast, but could he survive a second?

"Oh no... Not again! Zeno, get out of there!"

"Run for it, Ze-Ze!"

Their pleas fell on deaf ears. Zeno stood his ground and awaited the attack. The Broken release the fireball towards him once more. As it approached him Zeno took his sword, still in reverse-grip, and held it behind him. Just as the ball of flames was right in front of him, he quickly slashed with his sword, miraculously cutting the attack in two before it dissipated. Not happy with this result, the dragon let out a mighty roar shaking the whole cavern.

Zeno then bent down slightly before pushing off the ground, heading toward the enemy at full force. His speed was phenomenal. It probably wouldn't be too much of a stretch to say he could compete with a CPU. The dragon rose its right claw and attempted to crush him just as he got within range. But the boy was too fast. He jumped just as the beast was about to reach him, landing on and stabbing the arm itself. He ran up the length of the arm dragging his sword through it the entire way until he reached the shoulder. He jumped from the shoulder, pulling his sword free from its arm, and punched the creature in its face as hard as he could with his free hand. The impact actually had enough power to force it back a few steps.

As Zeno landed back on the ground between the girls and the monster, the Broken started to glow as it began its super-regen effect again. But this time the wound he inflicted glowed a bright red and refused to close. It started to roar wildly, this interference with its healing seemingly causing even more pain. IF and Compa were completely speechless. Just a bit ago the three of them struggled just to get around that thing, and now here he was fighting and winning all by himself. Just what exactly happened?

Zenotyne held his left arm in front of him, palm up and closed fist. "Execute." With that word, he opened his hand and from the palm streams of numbers came out and converged just above it. These streams of number started forming what looked to be a sphere or data or something. Once the streams stopped and the sphere completed he pulled his hand back yet the sphere remained stationary in front of him. The boy closed his hand into a fist as he reared it back. "Data..." The Broken finally stopped its wailing and looked towards its aggressor: the human boy ready to finish the job. "...BREAK!"

Zeno slammed his fist into the sphere with so mighty a punch it actually caused a small shockwave on impact. The sphere rocketed toward the Broken, which was too large and too slow to possibly avoid it. It landed dead center of the monster's chest and continued forward until it had pierced all the way through, leaving a large grid-like hole. The dragon stopped moving altogether and started losing its color. Soon cracks started appearing from the hole and spread throughout the creature. Finally, the beast shattered into pieces and as they hit the ground they burst into small clouds of pixels before vanishing completely.

It was over. The boy had done it. He had beaten an 'unbeatable' monster. This would make one hell of a tale back in Planeptune. Though neither of them had come to their feet yet, Compa and IF were awash with joy and amazement at his feat.

"Zeno... I-I can't believe it..."

"You did it, Ze-Ze! You beat-" Compa was cut off by the sound of Zeno dropping his sword to the ground. He had barely moved since he punched the sphere. And now his body was collapsing. All the strength he had before was gone. As he fell his appearance returned to normal and his mind slipped into unconsciousness.

He was going to need a loooong rest after that battle.

* * *

 **WOW, that was long! WAY longer than I originally intended, but hey, I said things would heat up and I'd like to think I delivered.**

 **I'll see if I can't draw up a new cover art for this story to show off the new form, but that may take a while, so for now just look forward to new chapters.**

 **That being said, this writer need some rest himself! I'll catch you all next time! Zeno out!**


	5. Chapter 5: D-Loader

**PRE-CHAPTER NOTES**

 **First off, I would like to apologize to all my readers for this week-late posting. A combination of writer's block and a VERY busy work schedule at my job put me in something of a slump for the past week.**

 **HOWEVER! Tomorrow is a day off for me and I intend to fully dedicate it to writing the next chapter for this week to get caught up. So think of this week as a double whammy special apology from me.**

 **Now that that's out of the way, on to the story!**

* * *

 **Disclaimer**

 **Hyperdimension Neptunia is owned by Idea Factory, Compile Heart, and all other official parties involved with the Neptunia series.**

 **I own NOTHING.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER FIVE**

 **D-LOADER**

Struggling to open his eyes, Zenotyne awakens from his unconscious state. He felt a light shinning his face. Though it made opening his eyes more difficult it helped to make his mind more aware of his surroundings, but it would still take a few moments to focus.

"Oh! He's waking up!" The boy heard a voice. He lifted a hand to try to block the light as he attempted to locate the person who was speaking. "Just take it easy for now, Ze-Ze." Ze-Ze? Only one person ever called him that.

"...Compa?" Zeno's vision finally came into focus. Compa was standing next to him with her trademark smile and her eyes watering up. She must have been really happy he woke up. Just how long was he out? But before that, there was another question he needed to ask. "Where am I? And how did I get here?"

"We're back at Planeptune's Basilicom," she answered as she wiped her tears. "You fell unconscious after the battle with the Broken, so me and Iffy had to carry you here. Are you feeling okay? You were asleep for a while." It seemed like deja vu as he sat himself up. Once again he had been tucked into a bed while he was asleep. Heck, it even looked like it was the same room as last time. The only difference was they elected to keep the curtains open to let the sun in.

"Wait... The Broken!" As his mind recalled the battle he quickly reached over and grabbed Compa shoulders shaking her a little as he questioned her. "Where did it go? What happened? How did we get away!?" Compa was a little surprised with Zeno's sudden action but managed to keep her cool, though now she was a little confused.

"How did we get away? What do you mean? You beat it for us, Ze-Ze. Don't you remember?" Now Zenotyne was the confused one. He released his friend and placed a hand on his forehead as he tried to recall. The last thing he remembered was trying to stand back up after taking that nasty hit from the monster. Everything after that was a haze. He beat it? How?

"Don't think too hard on it. It kinda was a crazy day after all." Zeno turned to the voice he heard to see IF sitting in a chair on the other side of the room. She looked okay for the most part but she had a patch on her right cheek and her left arm was in a sling. She had one of her phones out in her right hand and was dialing something before placing up it to her ear. "Hey, it's me. Sorry to bother you, but could you come down here? He's awake now and I think we'd all like to hear what you have to say. ...Thanks. See you in a bit." Zeno asked if she was alright as she hung up, to which she promptly responded. "I'll be all right. The hit I took messed me up a bit though. I'm not going to be able to fight for a while because of it. What I'm more concerned about is you. You got it worse than I did, but you hardly had a scratch when it was over. Are you sure you're okay?"

IF's statement started to sink after a moment. It was true. During the fight, his body was practically screaming in pain. The fact that he was able to stand through it all was nothing short of a miracle. Even with Compa's nursing skills and Planeptune's technology IF was out of commission for a while, so how was it that he seemed to be fine? Granted, he was still kind of worn out but not in any pain. Zeno asked his friends to recount what had happened for him. Once they told him the story things started to make a little sense. He still couldn't remember the event itself, but at least he understood what had happened. The big question was HOW it happened.

At that moment the door to the room slid open. The person who came inside was everyone's favorite little fairy. She made her way to the center of the room as she spoke. "Hello, everyone. I do apologize if I have kept you waiting."

"Not at all, Histoire," IF said. "That was actually pretty fast. Thanks for coming."

Zenotyne and Compa said their hellos to Histoire before she began. "It is good to see you have recovered, Zenotyne. I apologize for troubling you so soon after regaining consciousness, but I believed it would be best to tell you what I have learned of the D-Loader."

The D-Loader? Already? Now he was getting confused all over again. "Hold on, Histy. I thought you said the search on the D-Loader was going to take you three days?"

"Oh, right. We haven't told you yet," IF said. Zeno turned to IF, still feeling like a puzzle with some missing pieces.

"You must have been really tired after the fight," Compa said. "You were asleep for three whole days." Three days? That explains how Histoire's ready. His confusion now cleared up, for the most part, Zeno turned his attention back to Histoire.

"So then," he began, "Exactly what IS the D-Loader, Histoire? And how does it really work?"

"It is as we had been led to believe. The D-Loader is a device designed to restore Gamidustri from that which would threaten its stability. Your D-Loader's abilities are to break down or even outright remove these threats. As to how exactly these abilities are used, only you, as its user, can truly define them."

So that's the way it works. That must have been how the monster couldn't heal its wounds after he struck it, according to his friends. The D-Loader must have been running interference. But that still left one thing he didn't quite get. "Okay. And how exactly do I turn this thing on? I don't even really remember what happened myself."

"I am afraid I did not find anything concrete in that regard. From what I was able to gather, there is no set way to activate it. All I was able to determine was that its use and abilities are shaped by your will and emotions. I apologize that I could not learn more."

"No no, you're fine. It's something to go on at least. Thanks for looking into it. Really." Zenotyne held his left arm out in front of him, eyeing the device upon it as he thought of what Histoire said. "...By my will and emotions, huh?" That was going to take some getting used to. He definitely had an iron will when he set his mind on something, but his emotions were never something he could control too well. He always went with whatever he was feeling at the time and it landed him in trouble on occasion, but at least he was always honest about it. Now he just needed how to figure out how to use this power to help and protect his friends. As he looked at each one, seeing IF's condition reminded him of another thing. "Oh, I almost forgot. Histoire, before I used the D-Loader in the last fight I took a bad hit and could barely even stand. But now I feel fine. Do you think this thing had anything to do with that?"

Histoire placed a finger to her chin as she thought on this before answering. "I cannot say for certain, but perhaps the D-Loader itself has the capability to protect its user in times of need. If this is indeed the case it would explain why you appear uninjured."

"Yeah, but that's just a guess, right?" IF chimed in. "Even if it is true, I don't think it's something we should rely on. It would definitely be helpful in a pinch, but if he's too dependent on it, we might one day find out he can't win a fight without it." She was right. For all they knew his miraculous healing may have just been a 'first-time-use-bonus' or something.

"Also," Histoire began, "I would like to personally thank you for your service to Planeptune in eliminating the Broken you encountered." She then made a light bow to Zeno. Service to Planeptune? What was she going on about? The boy could only raise a brow and tilt his head in confusion.

"Oh yeah. You wouldn't know since you were unconscious." IF had earned Zeno's attention with that statement. "After we brought you back we went ahead a turned in the request we took. We also had to report to the Guild about the Broken we encountered. I asked them to keep it quiet but someone must have let it slip. Before we knew it the whole city was talking about it."

"Yes," said Histoire. "And as a result, the people have begun to place a little of their faith back into Planeptune, and, by extension, the CPUs as well. This has allowed us to regain a small piece of our lost Shares. It is by no means much, but in dire times such as these every little bit will help." They got some of their Shares back? That was definitely a good sign. He didn't know the exact amount, but the knowledge that he made a differece filled him with energy. He felt like he could take on the world! ...Okay, that's a bit much, but he definitely felt like going back out there. Heck, he even started chuckling to himself.

"All that happened while I was out? I kinda feel like I just missed out on a parade, but that's not gonna stop me! I'm all fired up now! Sorry IF, but I wanna go and find the next one now. C'mon, Compa, time to kick some Broken butt!" Zenotyne grabbed the blanket on top of his and tossed it to the side as he hopped out his bed. He was about the start bolting out the door, but then he felt very drafty for some reason. He was about to ask the girls why it felt that way but the words became lost to him when he saw their faces: dumbstruck and very red.

"EEEEEKK!" Compa had let out a loud shriek. Zeno turned to her to see she had brought her hands to her face and was hiding her eyes, though she would occasionally slip a peek through her fingers.

"Mister Zenotyne, please! Make yourself decent!" He then turned to Histoire. Though clearly flustered, she had completely turned herself away from him. He started getting a very bad feeling about this.

"Zeno, you idiot!" Now IF was the one shouting. Nearly her entire face was red and was wearing a panicked expression. She used her good arm to point an accusing finger at him. His bad feeling just got a whole lot worse. Was he...? "You look like a pervert jumping out of bed in front of us like that! Put your damn clothes on!"

The horror of it all hit him in full force at that moment. He slowly looked down to see he was wearing nothing but his underwear. It wasn't anything fancy or embarrassing, but it still didn't make the situation any better. That's a hell of a way to start the day.

* * *

Zenotyne was walking on the sidewalk just behind IF and Compa, his head hung low in shame. The event back at the Basilicom had robbed him of his confidence so he didn't feel like adventuring right away anymore. Once he had clothed himself and the girls calmed down Compa offered to make them lunch at her place. While he was looking forward to one of Compa's meals, the embarrassment he went through was winning out.

Compa was humming to herself as she thought about what to make while IF was fiddling with one of her phones again as they walked. Compa got on to IF about it for a bit saying it was dangerous, but IF just shook it off saying it was just for a bit and that she was checking something. Compa wanted to argue, but she knew it wouldn't go anywhere so she begrudgingly let it go. Though the conversation did spring a thought to Zeno.

"Hey, IF? You wouldn't happen to have an extra phone you don't really use, do you?" Everyone stopped walking. IF raised an eyebrow asking why he was asking that. "Well, you're not going to be traveling with us for a while, right? I was just thinking that there's no telling where our journey will take us. We might need your advice or you might want an update or something while we're gone so..."

"Oh, I get it," she responded. "That's actually a good idea. I've got one I hardly use these days, so I'll give it to you. But first I'll need to clear out the contacts and other stuff in it. How 'bout I give it to you after we eat?" Zeno nodded to her proposal and they resumed their course.

He still felt a little bummed from that morning, but things were to looking up. He was already a small hero to the city, he was getting a meal made by Compa herself, a phone from IF, then he could adventure and practice using the D-Loader. How could this day get any better?

* * *

 **There we go. A little on the short side again, but like I said before: writer's block.**

 **Also, and I meant to put this in earlier chapters, if anyone has any questions about the story let me know in the reviews. I'll try to answer in upcoming chapters without revealing too much.**

 **I'm also open to suggestions for small events and happenings. Just bear in mind this is a T-rated fic so anything explicit WILL be ignored.**

 **Next chapter will be a bit more eventful so look forward to that tomorrow. Until then, Zeno out!**


	6. Chapter 6: Engage

**Disclaimer**

 **Hyperdimension Neptunia is owner by Idea Factory, Compile Heart, and all other official parties involves with the Neptunia series.**

 **I own nothing.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER SIX**

 **ENGAGE**

Zenotyne and Compa had entered another cave together. With her injury, IF had to stay behind. They had taken on another Quest before coming to this place. This time they took on a hunting quest. Zeno needed the practice using the D-Loader and he figured it would be perfect. Zeno was excited to get started, while Compa on the other hand... "*shudder* ...This place is kind of creepy. Are you sure we're in the right place, Ze-Ze?"

"Relax, Compa. Have some faith in me," the boy replied. "Besides, we both followed IF's directions to the letter. This has to be it. Oh! Speaking of which..." Zeno started digging into his pocket before producing a phone. It was a simple yellow in color and looked fairly old. It was a basic flip-phone capable of little more than talking and texting, but it was enough to get the job done. He opened it up and went into the Contacts list. There were only two in it: IF and Histoire. He chose IF before putting the phone on speaker mode. After a couple of rings, he got an answer.

"You're there already? You certainly know how to move."

"What can I say? I was anxious to start." IF made a small jab at Zeno sounding like Neptune with that statement. Compa leaned over and said 'hi' to IF before letting them get down to business. "So, IF, what can you tell us about this place?"

"The name of where you are is called the Hero's Cavern. Don't ask about the name. It was probably Nep's idea thinking it sounded cool or something." Yeah, that sounded like something she would do alright. "Anyway, it's a bit of a maze in there, but it's mostly straightforward for the most part. It's farther from Pleneptune than anywhere else you've been so the monsters are going to be a little tougher. The monster you're looking for is a Crystal Golem. They shouldn't too hard for the two of you, but keep your guard up."

"Are there any Broken here, IF?"

"According to the Guild there is one or two sometimes seen there, but thankfully they're not aggressive. Even if you find one it shouldn't cause you any problems. Just don't go trying to fight one of them just yet. You still need to learn how to use your Mod properly before you start picking fights with them."

"Okay. Anything else?"

"Not really. It's a fairly simple cave, just make sure not to bite off more than you can chew. And-hmm? ...Oh okay. I'll get right on it, Histoire. Sorry, guys, but I need to go. I'm helping Histoire around the Basilicom until I'm ready for field work again. I'll see you two when you get back." Zenotyne and Compa said their good-byes before ending the call.

So, a Crystal Golem was their target. And if he recalled correctly he needed to defeat five of the for the quest. Well, they had better get started. Zeno then got a text from IF. Had she forgotten to say something? When he opened the text it read 'If you do anything funny to Compa cause I'm not around, you'll regret it.' Subtle, IF. Real subtle.

* * *

It had been a while and Zenotyne was starting to get annoyed. The Crystal Golem only seemed to spawn in a few places, one of which was beyond their reach as it was blocked off by a Broken Pixelvader the kept going up and down the only walkway to the Golem with insane speed. Clearly what made this monster Broken was a huge increase to its Agility stat. They had only defeated three so far, along with a number of other monsters, and he didn't feel like trekking back and forth through the dungeon just to get to the next Golem. So now the two of them were sitting on the ground waiting for the one they just defeated to respawn.

The wait was killing Zeno. Patience never really was his forte. The boredom of the moment forced a big yawn from him. "Are you sleepy, Ze-Ze? Would you like to take a nap?" Compa asked.

"Nah, I'm okay," he replied. "Besides, it's probably not a good idea to try to sleep in a place like this anyway. I'm just bored is all. I hate waiting like this; I get all fidgety when I don't have something to do." Zeno laid back and started waving his arms a bit to show that he was getting a little antsy.

"Well then how about I make us some tea? That should help to wake you up. I also brought sandwiches in case we wanted a snack while we were here." Zeno was quick to accept her offer. It wasn't that long ago, but the lunch Compa made earlier completely won him over. It wasn't anything extravagant, yet for some reason, it tasted heavenly. He was starting to get a first-hand understanding to why that rat kept calling her his angel, though the thought of associating himself with the rodent was a little disheartening.

Compa reached into her phanny pack and procured a small portable stove thing, a kettle, a couple of cups, and, of course, the sandwiches. How does she fit all that in that little thing? Was it one of those bags in RPGs that had nearly infinite carrying capacity? Considering the world he was in it wasn't that far out of the realm of possibility. It would still be a minute or two before the tea was ready, but that didn't stop Zeno from stuffing his face with the food.

By the time the tea was ready, the monster had already respawned, but they were a safe distance away. And with all the stuff already out it would be a waste to stop halfway through their snack. In fact, Zeno had already finished half of his sandwich. Compa poured him a cup of tea and handed it to him. He tried to get right to it only to nearly burn his lips and tongue when he discovered it was pretty hot. He blew on it a few times before slowly sipping it.

He stopped eating for a bit and looked at his left hand. So far he had gotten nothing out of the D-Loader. He had tried a number of different approaches to activate it, but thus far nothing worked. It was a little disappointing but he knew he'd figure it out eventually. Plus, Compa kept cheering him up whenever he looked down about it. It was just something he'd have to keep trying at.

As Zenotyne resumed eating he saw something peculiar. There was another Broken just wandering around a little ways off. It looked like a Skeleton, but something was off about it besides it obviously being a Broken. He couldn't tell what from their distance, though. As he watched it hover along it began approaching a wall. Was the monster's sense of direction busted or something? It was going to collide with the wall if it kept going. That's when things got weird. It actually went THROUGH the wall. Like it wasn't even there. That definitely got Zeno's attention.

Compa had just finished her sandwich was enjoying her tea when Zeno rose to his feet. "Compa, put your stuff away for now. I wanna check something out real quick." Compa was confused but did as she was told. The two walked over to where he last saw the monster. Compa asked what they were doing exactly to which he responded by reaching out to the wall. His hand slowly approached the walled before he finally pressed forward. His hand went right through! He pulled his hand back and looked it. It didn't look or feel any different so he slipped his hand in and out a few more times to make sure he wasn't imagining it. "It's not real... There's no wall here; it's just an illusion or something." Compa was surprised to see this, not that he could blame her. He didn't recall anything like this in all the games he played.

Just what was going on? Deciding to take the plunge, Zeno stepped forward through the fake wall. On the other side was another corridor. Down at the end, he could see a red light of some kind shining. Compa came through the wall next and nearly bumped into Zeno. The two walked down the corridor until they reached the light at the end. It was a room that had deposits of a luminescent red crystal decorating the walls.

"What is this, Ze-Ze?" Zenotyne couldn't answer Compa's question. Seeing something like this in games like the Neptunia series was nothing to be surprised about. But to have it hidden behind a fake wall? That was new. On top of that, he couldn't help feeling something...malevolent from the red crystal around them. But that wasn't the biggest worry on his list right now. He was looking ahead of him. At the Broken in front of him.

The Broken turned around revealing an odd appearance. It was a simple Skeleton floating on its carpet and holding a large milk bottle or something. It had the telltale signs of being Broken: occasional static, texture discrepancy, things like that. But the most notable thing is that the right half seemed to have what appeared to be some kind of cybernetics integrated into its skull and arm. As it turned their way its right cybertronic eye started to glow red. "Uhh, Compa, I don't like the looks of this..."

"Relax, Ze-Ze. Remeber, Iffy said they're not aggressive here. As long as we leave it alone it shouldn't bother us." The Broken then took its bottle, turned it on its side, and held it on its shoulder. It looked like how a person would hold a... oh no.

"Yeah? Then what's it doing right now!?" The Broken then fired a MISSILE of all things from the bottle directly at the two. Zeno managed to grab Compa's arm and pull her to the side before they could be blown to bits. They used their next moment to draw their weapons and get ready for a fight. "Okay, missile-firing robot skeleton here. Not hard to see how this one's Broken!"

"W-wh-why is it attacking us? We didn't even do anything yet!"

"Maybe it's guarding this place. But why? Guess we'll just have to figure that out after we beat it!" Zenotyne rushed forward to close the distance. The Broken fired another missile which he barely managed to avoid. Compa scrambled to the side to avoid be hit herself before it collided with the wall in an explosion. It appeared to have a short reload period, but not short enough to stop the boy. "Nice try, but no dice!" Just as soon as he was in range he stuck the bottle to knock its aim completely off course and followed up with a few more strikes before finishing with a kick to knock it away a little.

Some might argue the last part in his assault was a bad move, but he needed to observe it for a bit. He didn't know if this thing had the super-regen the last one did. The more he knew about it the better he could fight it. As it righted itself it readjusted its bottle and fired another missile. He jumped back to avoid it as the missile exploded where he once stood. No regeneration. It just went back on the offensive. Maybe this thing could be conventionally beaten if he could get by its barrage.

"Compa! Long-range assault! Keep it on the defensive!" Compa confirmed Zeno's request and started letting out her own barrage from her syringe gun. It had nowhere near the impact of the Broken's missiles, but it could be fired far faster. Getting tired of being hit by Compa's pellets, or whatever they are, the Broken brought it's bottle in front of it and enlarged it so it could shield itself. But in the process, it forgot about its other opponent. "Where are you looking?" Zeno had snuck up behind it while it was distracted and started striking repeatedly with his sword. Finally, he gripped his sword with both hands and swung it like it was a bat, sending the Broken into the wall in a cloud of dust.

The two choose to wait for a bit to see if they had defeated their enemy. When the missile barrage didn't continue they finally relaxed. "We did it... Ze-Ze, we did it! We beat the Broken!" Zeno walked over to Compa, complimenting her on her performance. Without her, he wouldn't have had that opening. Maybe these monsters weren't so tough after all. Maybe they just needed to know how to fight them properly. Things were finally looking up again.

At that moment a missile came flying out of the dust cloud and was headed straight for the two. As she was the only one facing that direction, Compa noticed it before Zeno. "Ze-Ze, watch out!" She shoved him as hard as she could while attempted to get herself out of the way. The missile exploded on the wall behind her and triggered some large rocks to fall from it and the ceiling. "Owiee..." At this sound, Zeno scramble back to his feet to see that Compa was lying on the ground. She had a light covering of dust but was largely unhurt, save for the large chunk of rock on her left leg. This wasn't good. She wasn't going anywhere with that on her.

As the dust where the missile came from settled, it was revealed the Broken was still, in fact, alive. It slowly started to hover forward, as if positioning itself for the final blow. Zenotyne could probably get away, but Compa was a sitting duck! He couldn't leave her! Zeno gritted his teeth and stood between her and the Broken.

"How dare you..." Zeno began. "You attack us out of nowhere, you hurt my friend, and now act like you some big time villain? Well then come and get it..." Compa was about to start arguing which whatever he was planning to do, but then she noticed something. His left hand. The D-Loader. The central part had been rotating and was picking up speed. "You wanna be a big baddie, fine then! But know this: for every villain, there's a hero out there."

There was a power starting to surge forth from withing him. He felt this power before, but that time it was his instinct calling it. This time he's doing it himself. Now he understood what Histoire's words really meant: 'shaped by his will and emotions'. The boy lifted his left arm in front of his holding the back of his hand to the Broken. This was where it really began.

"Let's which one comes out on top! D-Loader: ENGAGE!" A burst of energy poured forth for a second that even forced the Broken back a bit. Zenotyne's entire body became surrounded in gale-like sphere of flames. As those flames dimmed and diminished his appearance changed. His outfit became red and black, his hair changed to white, even his weapon changed shape. The boy slowly opened his eyes to reveal they had changed from the green they were before to a red matching his outfit. Now the real battle would begin.

The Broken fired another missile at them. Zeno flipped his sword around to reverse-grip and dashed forward. As he approached the missile he struck with his blade, cutting it in two. The two halves spiraled off to the sides harmlessly away from him and Compa. The boy continued his rush with blinding speed. Before the Broken could even get the next shot off he was already right in front of it. He made an upward strike, knocking the bottle away from the monster. "Nuh-uh. We're not having any more of that crap."

The Broken started to make a retreat, desperate to reclaim its weapon. However, Zeno wasn't going to allow that to happen. "Time to end this." Zeno's body then became briefly engulfed in an aura before he launched toward the Broken. In no time at all he had already caught up the monster and slammed his left fist into it with a downward punch, forcing it to the ground. He then made another upward strike with his sword, running the tip of the blade through the ground before reaching its target, launching it into the air. He then jumped up to reach air level with the monster before rearing back for another big strike. "Terminal Impact!" He slammed his blade into the Broken full force with a downward blow sending it straight back to the ground with enough force cracks could be seen stretching from where it touched down.

While he was in the air he held his hand in front of him, palm up, and a data sphere formed. Just like last time, pulled his hand back before punching it with all his might. The sphere rocketed towards the Broken and made impact dead center of its chest. The Broken was... well broken into pieces and scattered about before they all burst into pixel clouds and vanished. With no monster to use it the missile-bottle...thing soon followed suit.

With the battle over, Zeno walked over to Compa once he came back down and used his sword as leverage to get the rock off her leg. "You all right there, Compa?"

"Yes, I'm okay. Thank you for worrying about me." Compa started to dust herself off as she spoke. "But that was really amazing, Ze-Ze! You beat that nasty Broken all by yourself! Does this mean you've figured out how to use the D-loader now?"

"I think so. Although..." Zeno made a big exhale. As he did briefly became surrounded by a soft light again before returning to normal. To Compa's surprise, he let himself fall onto his back after putting away his weapon. "Now I really need a nap. Now I see why I was asleep for so long last time. Using this thing can really wear you out."

"Well then how about I make some more tea? Having tea with friends is a great way to relax."

"Yeah, that sounds good. That'll make a good pick-me-up. In the meantime, I'm just gonna relax here for a bit." Compa began to start taking out her things for tea again while he closed his eyes and put his hands behind his head to make himself comfortable. Using the D-Loader was going to take some getting used to. Was that how the CPUs felt when they activated HDD for long periods? So much weird stuff was going on and he was practically having to relearn how Gamindustri worked. The boy wondered if he would ever be able to wrap his head around it all.

Zenotyne opened his eyes to stare at the ceiling of the room they were in when his expression shifted from tired to surprised. "Compa, cancel the tea plans. And lets put the quest on hold while we're at it." Confused, Compa looked at her friend.

"What? Why? Is something wrong, Ze-Ze?"

"I wouldn't say 'wrong', but..." Zeno then lifted his arm and pointed to the ceiling. "...I believe I found something much more important." Still confused, she followed his finger to where he was pointing. When her eyes reached their destination they grew wide with shock as they found...

* * *

 **BOOM! Cliffhanger!**

 **I know, they suck sometimes, but they're a great way to build suspense. Plus this Chapter's already starting to get kinda long so this seemed like a good stopping point.**

 **And as per my promise, that's a whole nother chapter up getting me caught up. Kind of a pain to write this in one day, but I dug this hole myself, so you know.**

 **As for what our heroes found? Tune in next week on Data Breaker to find out! Until then, I'll see you around. Zeno out!**


	7. Chapter 7: Perfect Purple

**Pre-Chapter Notes**

 **Hello Everyone and Merry Christmas! Once again I must apologize for breaking my 'new chapter every week' rule again.**

 **Between the Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and all the Christmas stuff going on I haven't really had much of a chance to work on this as much I as should have. Hell, one week I even got saddled with damn jury duty which took even more time. To make matters worse, most, of not all, of the stores to one of my work's competitors have closed, so while more business is good it also makes things a lot more hectic. Things seem to finally be calming down a bit and hopefully will continue to do so.**

 **Now I realize I am WAAAAYYY behind my story schedule and I hope to use this down time, however brief, to catch up again. That said, I shall make a new promise: until I am caught up I will be devoting each of my days off from working to writing a new chapter. So from here on I GUARANTEE you guys will be getting at least one chapter a week. Ideally two, but one step at a time.**

 **So let's get on with the show!**

* * *

 **Disclaimer**

 **Hyperdimension Neptunia is owned by Idea Factory, Compile Heart, and all other official parties involved with the series.**

 **I own nothing.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER SEVEN**

 **PERFECT PURPLE**

"Compa, cancel the tea plans. And let's put the quest on hold while we're at it." Confused, Compa looked at her friend.

"What? Why? Is something wrong, Ze-Ze?"

"I wouldn't say 'wrong', but..." Zeno then lifted his arm and pointed to the ceiling. "...I believe I found something much more important." Still confused, she followed his finger to where he was pointing. When her eyes reached their destination they grew wide with shock as they found...

"Nep-Nep! Ge-Ge!" It was true. Neptune and Nepgear, both in their HDD forms and unconscious, were both stuck on the ceiling of the cavern. They were held in place by the same red crystal that decorated the walls. Just what was that stuff?

"Nice to know we found them," Zenotyne said as he brought himself back to his feet. "But how are we going to get them down? Do you think you can break that stuff off of them with your syringe shots, Compa?" Sadly, Compa shook her head in response.

"I don't think so. That red crystal they're in looks really hard. It would probably take a while before any of it came off."

"Great..." Zeno brought his hand to his chin as he started thinking. There had to be a way to get them down. Maybe if he got close enough he could bash it off with his sword? The question with that plan was how was he going to manage that? Maybe if he used the walls...?

Zeno started taking a few steps back. Compa watched him with a curious expression. What was he going to do? The boy then broke into a full sprint towards the wall that was closest to where the Goddesses were held on the ceiling. Upon reaching it he used his momentum to climb up it as high as he could before kicking himself off towards the girls. He drew his weapon once more and readied himself to strike. Once he felt he was close enough he struck out at the crystal...only to miss. He started falling just before he was in range.

"Aw crap..." Zeno let out a yell as he fell, landing just a little away from where Compa stood. Once the dust cleared she ran over to him and asked if he was all right. Zeno sat back up while holding his head as he answered, "...Yeah, I'll be okay. Just...give me a minute..."

"Did you hit your head, Ze-Ze? I have this great medicine for headaches." Medicine? Zeno rose an eyebrow as he asked that question. Giving her signature pure smile pulled out her syringe. "Yessie. All I have to do is give you an injection and you will be okie-dokie in no time!"

His face briefly paling, Zenotyne quickly rose to his feet forcing a smile. "A-actually, Compa, it doesn't hurt anymore. Nope, all good, I'm fine now. I'm gonna try to get them down again." The boy broke into another sprint for the wall, not giving his friend a chance to respond. He always thought that Compa's weapon being a giant syringe was hilarious, but now that it had been right in front of him made it less so. In the Neptunia universe, there were few things that scared him more than one character in particular and the idea of an injection from that thing was one of them. He actually even felt a little sorry for whatever monster was foolish enough to get close enough to her use it in melee combat.

Zeno repeated his motions from before in another attempt to free the goddesses. Unfortunately, it once again ended in him falling short and landing awkwardly. The fear of Compa's injection driving him, he tried again. And again. And again, but he never could seem to get within reach and it was really starting to irritate him.

"Um, Ze-Ze, maybe you should take a break? You're going to hurt yourself if you keep doing this."

"I can't do that, Compa," the boy said as he sat up from another failed attempt. "They're right there. Right in front of us! I can't just sit here knowing that! There's got to be a way I can get them down..."

"Well... Maybe if you transform again? You jumped pretty high like that when you were fighting the Broken." Use the D-Loader? That could work. But could he use it again so soon? Only one way to find out.

Zenotyne rose to his feet and backed away from Compa for a little space. After taking in a deep breath he rose his left hand up to eye level, the back of his hand facing outward. His hand was half open, as if ready to claw at something, but then he closed it into a tight fist. When he did then the D-Loader's shell started rotating again and exhibited a red glow. He then swung his arm to the side, enveloping himself in a sphere red flames briefly before they dissipated revealing himself in the red garb once more.

He looked at his hand and gripped his fist tightly. He definitely felt stronger while like that, but he couldn't stay like that for long. He looked up at the girls trapped on the ceiling before crouching down and jumping up as high as he could. Sword at the ready, he actually jumped high enough to reach the ceiling and struck out at the crystal with his weapon. The strange gemstone started to crack and break from impact but did not release the girls. Not yet at least. He would only get one strike for every jump but he was willing to work with that.

The boy made another jump and attacked the crystal again. This time it crumbled and relinquished its hold on the younger of the two shortly after impact. As the Goddess fell she reverted from her HDD form. Zeno caught her as she fell before handing her off to Compa. "You take this one, Compa. I still need to get the other one down." Making one last leap he struck at the crystal around Neptune making it shatter and release her. Like her sister before her, she returned to normal as she fell and the boy caught her on the way down. Once they were back on the ground again his D-Loader shut down and he returned to normal as well.

"Yippee! You got them down, Ze-Ze! You're amazing!" The boy blushed a little at Compa's compliments as he shook his head.

"Nah, it was the D-Loader that made it doable. I'm not really that great. But more importantly, we should get these two back to Planeptune. Can you carry Nepgear, Compa? I'll take Neptune." Compa nodded to Zeno's request as he shuffled the goddess onto his back. "And let's try to avoid the monsters on the way out. I don't think I'm in much shape for a fight right now." As they started out Zeno noticed a small fragment of the red gem next to his foot. Something about it kept bothering him so he picked it up and put it away in his pocket. Maybe he'd ask Histoire about it later, but right now the Goddesses were the biggest priority.

Next stop: Planeptune.

* * *

The sun shined in through the window onto the bed. The person under the covers struggled to try to hide from the rays of light but ultimately gave in. The person sat up, tossing the covers off, revealing themselves to be a groggy Zenotyne. The boy let out a big yawn as he slowly brought himself out of bed and slowly walked to the restroom to brush his teeth.

After returning to Planeptune with Neptune and Nepgear, Histoire gave him a proper room on the Basilicom's top floor alongside the Goddesses. It was still mostly empty as he didn't have anything to put in it yet, but at least it had the basic amenities. Once the Goddesses were put to bed he went to bed himself. He was pretty wiped from the fight and carrying Neptune around yesterday. Hopefully, they would be feeling better today.

After freshening up some he started to make his way to the main room when he caught a whiff of something. Something tasty. Had someone been cooking? Once Zeno stepping inside he saw Compa in the kitchen with an apron on. She saw him enter and greeted him with a big smile.

"Good morning, Ze-Ze. I hope you slept well. Everyone else has already started eating, so go wash your hands and help yourself." Zeno obliged her and afterward made his way to the dining area. There he was greeted by a very welcome sight. IF was there, her arm no longer in a sling though it appeared she was still trying to not move it too much, alongside an already conscious Neptune and Nepgear. IF and Nepgear were taking their time eating their meals while Neptune was practically inhaling hers. IF was the first of the three to notice him.

"Hey, 'morning there, Zeno. Nice to see you up. I was a little worried you were going to sleep in."

"Hewah! Hohhs hih hohin!" Said Neptune with a stuffed face as she raised an arm excitedly. She was probably saying 'hi', but it was hard to understand her with her mouth so full.

"Nep, if you're gonna talk at least stop stuffing your face enough to swallow your food." Nep gave IF a blank stare for a moment before making a big gulp of her food and washing it down with her drink.

"Phwahh! Whoops. Sorry dorry, Iffy. But Compa's food is so delish I just don't wanna stop, ya know?" Yeah, that's typical Neptune alright. Heck, when they were bringing her and Nepgear back she started mumbling something about pudding. She also drooled a little on his back, but that was a small price to pay to get them home. Well, best to get introductions out of the way.

"Nice to see you two up and about already. I'm Zenotyne. Nice you meet you."

"Oh yes. It's nice to meet you, too." As Nepgear spoke she rose out of her seat and gave Zeno a polite bow. "My name is Nepgear, Planeptunes' CPU Candidate."

"And I'm Neptune! CPU for Planeptune and the best one in all of Gamindustri!" Neptune always did have a tendency to overexaggerate. Neptune hopped out of her seat and dashed over to Zeno. She then started to look him up and down. Was she sizing him up for something? "Sooo YOU'RE the big studmuffin that saved my sister and me, huh? I mean, I'm grateful for what you did and stuff, but don't go thinkin' that means I'm gonna fall for you or something. Ol' Nep ain't THAT cheap a date!"

Zeno could only chuckle a little at her proclamation. Neptune may rarely ever be serious outside her HDD form, but Zenotyne always found her dorky antics entertaining. "A pleasure. So, what's on the menu this morning?"

"Compa made pancakes for us today," Nepgear responded. "There's also eggs, sausage, and a few other things. She wanted to make sure we eat healthy and get our strength back, so she made a lot for us."

"Too much, I'd say," IF interjected. "She spoils you guys. Honestly, if you two weren't CPUs I'm pretty sure Nep would be a giant beach ball right now."

"Ha! You can't fool me, Iffy! You're just jealous of my perfect figure!"

"Yeah, sure. Sit back down already. Your food's gonna get cold." At IF's statement, Neptune wasted no time going back to her seat and stuffing her face like a chipmunk. Zeno took his own seat at the table and started loading up his plate with food. Before long Compa arrived with another serving and took her own seat to join the rest of the group.

At last the whole Planeptune group was back together. Neptune and Nepgear likely still needed some time to rest, but it would be a spirit lifter for the people to know their CPUs were back. And if Zeno found them, maybe he could find the others as well? Things were now looking better than they have been for a while in Planeptune and, hopefully, he could extend this fortune out to the rest of Gamindustri.

Just what awaited them in the future? Only time will tell.

* * *

 **God it took WAAAYYY too long to get this out. But now that the "main character" has arrived things should be more entertaining.**

 **Unfortunately, I only have one day off this week so just this one chapter will have to do this time around but I WILL catch up. All I ask for is a little patience.**

 **Until then I'll see you guys next time! Zeno out!**


	8. Chapter 8: Pudding Problems

**Disclaimer**

 **Hyperdimension Neptunia is owned by Idea Factory, Compile Heart, and all other official parties involves with the series.**

 **I own nothing.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER EIGHT**

 **PUDDING PROBLEMS**

It had been a few days since the Planeptune CPUs had been freed. Zenotyne spent most of his time doing small quests for some extra money and trying to get Planeptune's shares up. By this time Neptune and Nepgear were ready to start helping out themselves. Even IF was wanting back in on the action. They were all still planning out their next move now that the CPUs were back so everyone was mostly taking it easy or doing their own thing. Histoire was certainly happy for the extra help; since Neptune resumed her habit of lazing about and playing all day.

Zeno came through the door kitchen door, arms stretched in the air, after finishing a quest and returning to the Basilicom. "Chalk another one up for the 'Data Breaker'. I think it's time for a nice snack." After throwing his jacket onto a chair he opened the refrigerator and looked inside. There was plenty of stuff for sandwiches and other quick-fix stuff. It was Compa or Nepgear that really got into the cooking stuff, while Neptune would gorge herself on snacks and sodas. Zeno checked the crisper drawer on the bottom to see if there was anything.

"Aw sweet!" Inside Zeno found one last pack of pudding. Much like Neptune, pudding was his favorite treat. He knew one day there would probably be a 'pudding war' or something between them for the gelatinous snack, but thankfully that day hasn't come yet. He grabbed the pack and closed the fridge, grabbed a spoon from the silverware drawer, and was about to peel the cover off. But then he stopped. Something on the cover caught his eye.

"Honey, I'm hooome!" Looks like Neptune's back from whatever childish adventure she went on.

"Nep-Nep, will you take some of these into the kitchen for me, please?" Compa, too? Maybe she brought some groceries?

"Sure thing, Compa. Hey, you got any goodies in there, too?"

"Yep. But those are for after dinner, Nep-Nep. You'll have to be patient."

"Hey, Compa, you need any help?" Zeno called out.

"Oh! You're here, too, Ze-Ze? That would be great, thank you." Zeno put down the pudding and spoon on the counter and stepped out into the main room. Compa had a lot of bags with her. A LOT. He knew she could handle large loads thanks to her nurse training, but how could she manage THAT? She handed a few bags to Neptune and she headed toward the kitchen. Zeno walked over to Compa and she managed to give him a few of the bags. Zeno followed Neptune to the Kitchen as Compa started to unload the rest of the bags onto the dining room table.

"Awesome! Someone left ol' Neptune a treat! Thank you, anonymous benefactor!" Uh oh. She found the pudding. Zeno rushed into the kitchen, placing the bags on the nearest empty space he could find on the counter, and quickly snatched the pack out of Neptune's hand which already had opened the pack and the spoon in the other, but it didn't look like she had eaten any of it yet. "Heeey! That's my pudding!"

"Sorry, Nep. I already called dibs."

"Yeah, right. That pudding wasn't even open until I found it, buster! Give it back!" Neptune then reached out to take it back, but Zeno put his free hand on her face and held her back at arm's length. She then started swinging her arms wildly to try to shake him off but it had no real effect other than showing her childishness.

"Hoo boy... Something tells me this won't end well." Knowing Neptune wouldn't give up, Zeno held the pack just over his mouth as he looked upward and crushed it to squeeze out as much of the pudding as he could. He took in as much as he could before swallowing it in one big gulp, much to the little girl's horror.

"*Gasp* NOOOOO! My pudding! You greedy, heartless monster! You ate my pudding!"

"What's going on in here?" IF then walked into the kitchen. She must have just gotten off her work for the Guild. Neptune wasted no time running to IF's side.

"Iffy! This... this... pudding thief stole and ate my snack! As your CPU, I order you to smite him! Smite hiiim!" As she said this Neptune pointed an accusing finger at Zenotyne. IF merely responded by putting a hand on her hip and giving Neptune an apathetic look.

"Is that it? Come on, Nep. It's just some pudding. I'm sure Compa got you more. Just let it go."

"*Gasp...again* No, not you too, Iffy... Traitors... Traitorrrsss!" Neptune ran off to her room trying to fake some tears.

"Don't worry about her, Zeno. She'll get over it in a few days." IF's face then became more stern. "But is it true?"

Zeno stuffed his hands into his pockets before responding. "For the most part. I got to the pudding first, but I set it down to help Compa with the groceries. Neptune got a hold of it so I took it back." Before IF could press any further Zeno grabbed his jacket off the chair while tossing the now empty pudding pack in the trash and started to head out of the room. "Don't call me for dinner. I'm just gonna be in my room."

After Zeno left the room IF let out a big sigh and dug out the pack from the trash can. "So much drama over a simple snack." IF looked down at the still attached label before a slight surprise briefly came across her face. She then looked back to where Zeno left and let a small smile out. "So that's why you did it."

* * *

The next day Neptune and the others headed to the Guild for a quest. Except there was thing different: Zenotyne wasn't among them. Nepgear noticed the lack of this person.

"Um, where is Zenotyne? Shouldn't he be here with us?"

"Oh, he said he would catch up later," Compa responded. "Ze-Ze was in the bathroom for most of the morning. I think he might have eaten something that didn't agree with him."

"Selflessness comes with a cost, after all," IF added. Nepgear and Compa were confused by her statement. Neptune on the other hand...

"Ha! Serves him right! That's what he gets for stealing my snacks. But let's not talk about that pudding thief. What kind of job are we doing today, Iffy?"

"Well, since you and Gear are back with us I thought we might go somewhere with some stronger monsters. Oh, but until Zeno joins us again let's avoid anything with known Broken in the area. He's the only one that can fight them right now."

"All right, you heard her, ladies! Let's move 'em out!" Neptune raised a fist in the air as she spoke, to which the others followed suit. Neptune may not exactly be leader material, but one couldn't deny how infectious her positive personality was. Before long they all settled on a monster exterminating quest. IF made sure leave a note for the receptionist to tell Zeno where they went if he came asking later.

* * *

"Soul Combination!" IF let loose one of her signature moves on a Plummet, dealing a series of slashes and kicks to her opponent. At the same time, Nepgear approached the monster from the other side for a pincer attack.

"Formula Edge!" Nepgear released her own combo on the monster. With their combined efforts they defeated Plummet causing it to break into a pixel cloud before vanishing completely. Compa was staying in the back providing support with her syringe-gun when enemies were in range. While Neptune was fighting a Spider one-on-one.

"Yeah! Time to strut my stuff! Cross Combination!" A small burst of power poured from Neptune as she took off toward the monster. Once she was close enough she struck it multiple times before launching it upwards and then jumping to slam it back down. Like with Nepgear and IF, the monster disappeared with its defeat. Neptune made a quick victory jump before putting up two fingers to form a 'V'. "Oh yeah! Neptune and party - 4, monsters - 0. Do we rock or what!"

"Yippee skippee! That's all the monsters we needed to beat for this quest, right Iffy?" asked Compa

"Yeah. I have to admit, I was a little worried you guys might be a little weak after being held captive for those three months, but it looks like it was for nothing."

"Well... maybe Neptune is all right, but I'm not so sure of myself..." Nepgear said meekly as she pressed her index fingers together. "I'm probably just holding you back, aren't I?"

"Of course not. Neither of you have used HDD yet and you're doing fine. You need to stop putting yourself down like that, Gear."

"She's right, you know. But more importantly, now that we're done beating up baddies let's go back to the Basilicom and have some of Compa's awesome cooking.

"Heeeeyyyyy!" The four girls turned to the voice to see Zenotyne running their way waving a hand. Compa and Nepgear waved back and IF was as nonchalant as ever. Neptune's face, however, got really annoyed.

"Oh great. It's the pudding pilferer..."

Once Zeno caught up with the rest of them he said, "Sorry, I'm late. That took a lot longer than I thought it would. The Guild told me where you guys went. So what did I miss?"

"Pretty much everything," IF answered. "We're already done. We were actually just about to head back to the Guild." Zeno became a little disheartened at knowing he missed the whole thing. He had hoped to make amends with Neptune by working alongside her today, but apparently that wasn't going to happen.

"Yeah, and since you didn't show up until we were done, you don't get any of the reward! So there!" Neptune was having another childish moment, but she also had a point. Plus he didn't like that anyway. It made him feel like one of those leechers in MMOs.

"Fair enough, I guess. I'll see you all back at the Basilicom then." As Zeno walked away Neptune blew raspberries at him. IF had become annoyed at this point. Enough was enough.

"Hey, Nep. Before we head back, can we talk for a bit?" Neptune looked at IF with a perplexed expression. What did she want to talk about?

* * *

Zenotyne was on the railing of the Basilicom veranda overlooking the city as the sun set. So much for patching things up with Neptune during the quest. Maybe he'd have better luck tomorrow.

"Hey, uhh... Z?" called out a voice. He knew well who it belonged to. Plus there was only one person who called him by that nickname.

"Oh... Hey, Neptune," the boy answered. His voice was melancholic and didn't turn his gaze away from the horizon. "Look, if this is about the pudding thing, I'm sorry, okay? I know what I did was wrong even though I had my reasons. I'm already dealing with the guilt so you don't have to rag on me about it every chance you get, you know."

"Actually, I wanted to give you this." After walking up next to him, she held out her hand in front of his face. On it lay a fresh pack of pudding. Now she had his full attention. He slowly took the pack with a confused expression. Before he could finish asking why she continued, "Iffy told me what really happened. She looked at the pudding pack from yesterday and saw that it was expired. Like REALLY expired. She told me that you weren't being greedy, you were trying to protect me. You knew what would happen if I ate it so you did instead. I felt bad about all the flack I gave you about it so I wanted to make it up to you. And besides..." Zeno then turned toward her to see she had her own pack and a couple of spoons and her big goofy grin. "...Pudding always tastes better when you eat it with friends."

Now that was something Zeno could get behind. He'd have to be sure to thank IF later. For the first time today he was finally able to smile as Neptune handed him one of the spoons. The two tore open the packs and started eating. As they did Neptune started bragging about her kicking monster butt. It wasn't how he intended to this day to go, but it all worked out in the end. Before long his thoughts turned to what tomorrow might bring.

* * *

 **Hey, everyone! Sorry for the addition being this late in the week, but work had me pretty busy for the first half of it.**

 **I'm currently spending some time off work to visit some relatives, but that doesn't mean I'm not writing. I'm keeping my promise, so for this weekend (today included) you can expect a grand total of three, I repeat, THREE chapters! Now these chapters might not be posted until late in the afternoon or evening as I'm having to write each one in one day, but they WILL get done.**

 **So with that said I'm gonna get some rest, and maybe brainstorm for tomorrow's chapter. 'Til then, Zeno out!**


	9. Chapter 9: To Lastation

**Disclaimer**

 **Hyperdimension Neptunia is owned by Idea Factory, Compile Heart, and all other official parties involved with the series.**

 **I own nothing.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER NINE**

 **TO LASTATION**

Things in Planeptune were finally stable...enough. Shares were still low due to the Broken running around, but things were better now that the CPUs were back and Zenotyne was helping out to deal with the Broken threat. He only had defeated a few more since the CPUs' rescue as a number of the known Broken were in high level monster areas he wasn't prepared for yet. But when all was said and done Planeptune finally seemed to be all right again.

But something still kept bothering Zeno. Everything he had done thus far had been within the confines of Planeptune's borders. Sure Neptune and Nepgear were safe now, but what about the others? Noire? Blanc? Vert? The other CPU Candidates? He felt it was time to branch out to the other nations. The big question was how was he going to bring this up to the girls?

The day had started out like any other. Everyone was eating breakfast at the table. This time around everyone was getting into different cereals. Compa and IF were eating some whole grain brand for health, Nepgear was eating something with a bunch of shaped pieces, while Neptune was scarfing down something with lots of marshmallows while toying with the activities on the back of the box. Zenotyne, on the other hand, was had something frosted, though he had barely eaten two bites of it.

"Is something wrong, Ze-Ze? You've hardly touched your breakfast," asked a concerned Compa.

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing, Compa. Just thinking about stuff is all."

"Must be pretty serious if it's got you this distracted. What's on your mind?" asked IF.

"I... It's nothing big. Don't worry about it."

"I must disagree," said a voice. Everyone turned towards it to see Histoire floating in from the entrance way. Everyone gave their greeting to the fairy before she continued. "I do not wish to place unneeded pressure on you, but at current, you are the sole means we have to combat the Broken threat. If something is troubling you, please do not hesitate to let us know. We cannot right the wrongs of this world if you are otherwise distracted."

"Well...it's just..." Now everyone's eyes were on Zeno. He couldn't bring himself to look anyone in the eye so he just cast a blank gaze toward to cereal bowl. "I'm... I'm thinking about leaving Planeptune." Needless to say, everyone was surprised to hear this. Histoire and IF kept mostly calm faces while Neptune, on the other hand, starting spitting out milk from the revelation, earning IF's ire as most of it ended up getting on her.

"What!? But why? I thought we were best buds now! Don't you like hanging out with me anymore?" whined Neptune.

"Oh goodness... It's because of me, isn't it? I'm just holding you back, aren't I?" said Nepgear. The poor girl always was quick to assume she was the one at fault.

"No! No! It's nothing like that. It's just..." Zeno took a moment to get his thoughts together before continuing. "Planeptune is in a much better position now. I mean, sure, there are still some Broken running around, but everything else seems to be good again. Shares are recovering, Neptune and Nepgear are back, even the Guild and Basilicoms are getting business again. But what about everywhere else? I know their not your nations, but shouldn't we help out the other lands, too? And who knows, maybe we could find the other CPUs and CPU candidates, too. I just...I just can't sit here where it's safe when the other nation's are practically defenseless when I can make things a little better for them. So that's why..."

Everyone was silent as the words sank in. He had a point. Histoire may have been the one to summon him, but that was no reason for his abilities to be monopolized for Planeptune's benefit. After wiping herself clean, IF was the first to stand up and respond. "If that's how you feel, Zeno, then I'm going with you." Zeno was surprised she was so open to help him. Or at least doing so so soon.

"A-are you sure? Don't you have stuff to do here in Planeptune, IF?"

"Not really. Planeptune might be my home, but I work for the Guild and the Guild isn't bound to any one nation. Besides, I'm a field agent. I can do my work pretty much anywhere."

Though she didn't stand, Compa was the next one to speak up. "As a nurse, I can't look the other way where people are hurt or in trouble, no matter where they're from. So I'm coming, too."

"I want to find Uni, Rom, and Ram, and make sure they're all right. I won't be able to rest easy until I know they're safe. So...please take me with you!" It would seem the discussion had lit a fire in Nepgear. She always was pretty passionate about her friends.

"That's right, Nep Jr.! And I won't rest until I find the bad guy responsible for all this junk. When I find him, I'll Nep him good! Count me in, too!" Zeno was practically shocked by this development. He figured one or two would want to go with him, but for all of them to jump on 'go' like this... It made him realize just how special his friends in this world really were.

"Then that settles it. We're all coming with you," said IF. "So, where are we going, leader?" 'Leader'? Now that was something that caught him off guard. Though it was a dumb question, Zeno asked if she really meant him. "Well yeah. You're the one that got us all in the mood for this little expedition. Plus you're the one we've been relying on for our problems. It seems only fair to let you be the one to call the shots."

Zenotyne turned toward Histoire. "Will Planeptune be all right without all of us, Histy?"

With a nod, Histoire replied, "I believe that should not be too much trouble if you are elsewhere for a while. If something does come up, I will be sure to contact you on the cell phone IF gave you." Now things were really going right. Seeing such good friends willing to help him on such short notice almost brought a tear to his eye.

"Thanks, guys. But before we think of leaving let's finish eating. Can't go hiking on and empty stomach." With those words, and his appetite restored, Zeno starting to dig back into his breakfast. The girls sat back down and followed suit, each at their own pace. Sadly this meant Neptune overate in her excitement and got a bellyache, but it was just a small hiccup in the plan.

* * *

Later on everyone met at the Basilicom's front doors once they had all their things together and some restorative items for the trip. Just in case.

"All right. Everyone's here," IF stated. "So what's our first destination, Zeno?"

"Well..." Zeno crossed his arms and thought for a bit before responding. "How about we head to Lastation? Noire's nation may do a lot of quality work, but she was involved in a lot of the development and stuff of a lot of companies there. Lowee and Leanbox will have similar issues, I'm sure, but they've always seemed a bit more independent from the CPUs' involvement. I'm worried how Lastation is doing without their CPU's guidance."

"Sounds like a good start to me. Is everyone else okay with this?" The others all gave a nod to affirm the decision. Zeno was pretty sure they all had their own reasons to go with this. Compa and IF probably just wanted to help out the people in trouble, Nepgear was likely focused on finding Uni, while he suspected Neptune just wanted to make jabs at Noire always trying to be 'little miss perfect' and her little failures.

Their course now set, the group headed of westward toward Noire's homeland. It would likely take a day or two to get there with all the Broken having halted all the international travel services, but that did nothing to dim their spirits. What awaited them in the Land of Black Regality? Only time would tell.

* * *

 **Yeah, I know, this one is uber short compared to my past chapters, but I honestly had a hard time coming up with ideas to stretch out this little turning point so I'm afraid this what we have to work with this time.**

 **Hopefully, I'll be able to put in a bit extra in tomorrow's chapter to make up for it. Until then, I'll catch y'all later.**

 **Zeno out!**


	10. Chapter 10: Land of Black Regality

**Disclaimer**

 **Hyperdimension Neptunia is owned by Idea Factory, Compile Heart, and all other official parties involved with the series.**

 **I own nothing.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TEN**

 **THE LAND OF BLACK REGALITY**

"C'mon, slowpokes, it's right there. You better hurry up or you'll have to buy me some snacks." Neptune was the first to come over the ridge. She was soon followed by Nepgear, Compa, and then IF. Once they reached the top IF turned back around to face their fifth party member.

"That's what you get for using so much of your energy at the start of the journey. I expected this from Nep, but you?"

"Oh just...*hahh*...shut up..."said a very tired voice. A hand cropped up from over the ridge as the owner pulled him over. It was Zenotyne, and apparently the trip was not kind on his stamina. After he was clear of the top he collapsed onto his back. In between breaths, he said, "...I swear to God...once Lastation's recovered some...the first thing I'm doing...is taking out every Broken...between it and Planeptune...JUST to get...that fast travel system up again..."

"You didn't exercise much back home, did you? Now get up, we're almost there. If you don't I'll have Compa give you an energy shot."

"...You're a demon..." Though he was fighting himself, Zeno managed to pull himself to his feet as he shot IF a very annoyed look. IF found out about his fear of Compa's syringe. After Compa told her the tale of how they found and rescued Neptune and Nepgear she was able to piece it together. And was wasting no time putting it to use to get him moving. If she kept this up for too long he would have to start searching for some dirt on her.

Once he took in the view his exhaustion disappeared. Before him lay the great city of Lastation. While much of it was in a steampunk-style industrial boom it was still a nice sight. Many of the buildings were dynamically designed, though their display of technology wasn't as apparent when compared to Planeptune. There was a slight smog over the city's industrial areas, but that was just a small trade off to how much of their products they could churn out otherwise.

"It's been a while since I was last in Lastation," said the younger of the sisters with a smile on her face. She must have gotten lost in the nostalgia. But not for long as it was soon replaced with a worrisome frown. "I hope Uni and Noire are okay...wherever they are."

"So, where are we going first, Zeno?" inquired IF.

"Well, I thought we should drop by Lastation's Basilicom first. Noire and Uni may not be around, but we might still be able to get some information from the Oracle."

"Lastation's Oracle, huh? I can't say I like how she does business, but I guess she would be our best bet for a lead of some kind."

"Uh, yeah, that's great and all..." Neptune interrupted. "But before that, can we get something to eat? That walk here made me, like, super starved over here."

"I agree with Nep-Nep," said Compa. "I'm kind of hungry, too."

"See? Compa gets it. So let's go eat. Besides, you still owe us sna~cks!" Was junk food and games all this girl ever thought about? ...Don't answer that. Zeno could only let out an exhausted sigh. He did dig that hole himself. He was the one who ran off ahead at the start saying 'Last one there is buying snacks'.

"Fine, fine, you win, Neptune," said Zeno as he rose his arms in surrender. "We'll get some food, THEN we'll see the Oracle. Cool?"

"And snacks. Don't forget snacks, Z. I'll just have some ice cream wherever we eat."

"Ooo, I'd like a strawberry sundae, please," Compa added. The others added in their own requests afterward. Zeno was already dreading the future. This would not bode well for his wallet.

* * *

The group was heading down the main walkway toward the Basilicom. Zenotyne was bringing up the rear gazing into his now empty wallet. The food itself wasn't so expensive, but afterward, IF recommended visiting an equipment store so everyone could get some better stuff. Sadly what he got for himself cleaned out what he had left.

Before long they arrived and let themselves in. There was a woman at the front doing some kind of paperwork before she noticed the group entering. "Welcome to Lastation's Basilicom. Unfortunately, Lady Black Heart is not seeing visitors at this time. If your business is with her I'm afraid you will have to come back another time."

"'Lady Black Heart?' Did someone else already rescue her?" asked Compa.

"I doubt it. It's probably something the Oracle set up to keep the populace from thinking their Goddess is missing again and panicking," IF explained. IF approached the receptionist before speaking up again. "Actually we're here to see the Oracle. Could you arrange a meeting for us, please?"

The receptionist shook her head before responding, "I am sorry, ma'am. But Lastation's Oracle is currently busy with other matters right now. I might be able to schedule one with her later for you, though."

"I guess we can work with that. When's the next availability?"

"Let's see. The earliest opening I can give will be..." The receptionist trailed off as she started off sorting through some paperwork. She soon found what he was looking for and looked back up to IF. "Two weeks from now." Two weeks!? That thought was on everyone's mind. There was no way they could wait that long. There had to be another way. IF tried to press for a sooner time, but the woman insisted there was nothing sooner than two weeks. Then Zenotyne had an idea. He placed a hand on IF's shoulder to get her attention.

"Let's a different angle, IF. Excuse me, but could you at least pass on a message for us? Please tell the Oracle that Neptune and Nepgear of Planeptune are here to see her."

"I...suppose I can do that much. I doubt it will make a difference, but I'll tell her." The receptionist then picked up the phone on her desk and proceeded to dial a few numbers. She soon got an answer and relayed the message. What followed was a surprised look. She gave a few affirmations to what could only be assumed as questions or instructions before placing the phone back down. "It would seem the Oracle is willing to set aside a few minutes to speak with you. Just head down the main hall and her office will be the third door on you left."

Needless to say, everyone was elated to hear the good news. IF was almost shocked at how well that went. So much so she had to ask, "How did you know that would work?" The boy responded saying that he just guessed. They then followed the receptionist's directions to the Oracle's office. When they opened the door they found a woman in business outfit with short silver hair at a desk skimming through and stamping some papers. When she noticed they had entered she set the papers down and stood up.

"Ah, my apologies. I would have come to see you myself, but covering for Noire's absence has taken up much of my time. I am Lastation's Oracle, Kei Jinguji."

"Hello again, miss Kei. It's nice to see you." As ever, Nepgear was quick to give a polite greeting. Everyone else followed her example; even IF, though with some reluctance.

"It is good to see you as well, Miss Nepgear. I see that you have brought a new face with you today."

"Yes. I'm Zenotyne. It's a pleasure to meet you." After his introduction, Zeno and Kei shook hands."

"A pleasure to meet you as well. Since you have Planeptune's CPU and CPU Candidate with you I can only assume you're here about Noire and Uni. Unfortunately, I have nothing to share about that. We've redoubled our efforts to locate them ever since we heard the reports of Planeptune's CPUs' rescue, but thus far we haven't found anything. I'm afraid you may have wasted your time."

"Now that's interesting," said IF. "Normally you have us do something for you before giving us any kind of information. Why so forthcoming?"

"While I can understand your skepticism, Miss IF, I have no intention of making someone work for something we cannot give. After all, that is how Lastation works if you recall." IF recalled, all right. She remembered well how Kei gave Nepgear and the others the run around for information she could have given right from the start during the ASIC crisis. "You're welcome to join our efforts, if you wish. We simply lack anything that might point you, or ourselves for that matter, in the right direction."

Everyone became disheartened at this news. Nepgear felt the sting of it the most. At least until Zenotyne spoke up again. "Actually, I think I might have a lead on that." Zeno reached into his pocket and produced the gem shard he picked up before. "It was Compa and me who found Neptune and Nepgear. When we did they were covered in this. Do you know anything about it?" Kei took the shard from his hand and began to examine it.

"I'm afraid geology isn't my specialty so I can't tell you what kind of stone this is. Although..." After handing the gem back to Zeno, Kei returned to her desk and started going through some of the papers. She soon found what he was looking for and skimmed through it before returning her gaze back to the group. "There was a report of one of our mining facilities discovering a cavern with veins of something similar to what you have shown me."

"Great! Then just tell us where this mining place is and we'll-"

"I'm afraid not." Uh oh. If there was anything Zeno recalled from the second game, it was that it was bad news if Kei cut off someone and/or denied their request. "While I am thankful for this possible lead you have given us in finding Noire and Uni, I cannot grant you any sort of assistance until it checks out." Great. More running around ahead. "On top of that, shortly after the cavern's discovery, there was an earthquake that caused part of the mine to collapse. Until that's been cleared, no one can get inside. The excavation itself will take a few days at the earliest."

"Then...maybe we can help with the excavation? Having a few extra hands helping out would get it done faster, right?"

"What!?" exclaimed Neptune. "You want cute little me to go digging in dirt and get all covered in mud and sweat and junk? No tha-OWW!" Neptune's outburst earned a quick knock on the head from Zeno and him telling her to be quiet.

"I'm afraid I must decline your offer." So much for that. "While I appreciate your desire to help our CPUs, that would be a simple case of too many cooks in the kitchen. We already have a number of workers on the excavation. I fear you and your friends would be in the way. Besides, your group doesn't exactly look like they can handle...hard labor." As she finished Kei had a small smile on her face. Did she just try to crack a joke? Rare as that was, it was a pretty poor one. Although Neptune was now smugly sticking her tongue out at Zeno. "But I think I have another way we might be able to help each other." And here it comes... "One of our trade routes has been under attack by some monsters lately. Some of our soldiers have been sent to deal with the problem, however, their reports are...disturbing. We suspect the culprit to be Broken. If you handle this problem for us, I see no reason why I can't allow you into the mining facility once the cave-in has been cleared."

"Hold on now," IF interjected. "You want us to take down a Broken? You know as well as I do how your CPU fared against them in the past. What makes you think we can succeed?

"I have heard some tales from Planeptune. Tales of someone summoned from another world with the power to fight the Broken. Would I be wrong in assuming your friend, mister Zenotyne, is this someone?" A stern silence followed, only confirming Kei's suspicions. "Then I believe this issue is within your power. Speak to the shipment manager at the warehouse district and he should give you the details. Is there anything else you wanted to discuss?" Once again, there was silence. "Then I look forward to favorable results. Until our next meeting then."

Everyone said their good-byes to Kei as they left the room on their new 'assignment'. Zeno was now sympathetic to IF's opinion for the Oracle, while Nepgear and Compa were the same as always and Neptune was still miffed at Zeno hitting her. As the door closed behind them, Kei returned her gaze to the mining report from before. "Just a little longer, Noire. I promise; we're going to bring you back home."

* * *

 **And that's three! Wow, I have been productive this weekend. Another two extra chapters and I should be caught up I believe.**

 **Just a little longer and we'll be seeing Noire and Uni! But all things in due time.**

 **Until then, I'll catch you all later. Zeno out!**


	11. Chapter 11: The Red Rumbler

**Hello, dear readers!**

 **First off, I would like to apologize for my lack of a chapter last week. My work place has sadly become understaffed during day hours forcing me to work more than I should have last week. Sure I got in some killer overtime, but I still wish I could have worked on this more than I did. I'll tack last week's chapter onto what I owe, putting the count back to three. Just be patient, though. I WILL have us caught up in due time.**

 **I thank you for your understanding, and now on to the story!**

* * *

 **Disclaimer**

 **Hyperdimension Neptunia is owned by Idea Factory, Compile Heart, and all other official parties involved with the series.**

 **I own nothing.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER ELEVEN**

 **THE RED RUMBLER**

The group had gotten the details they needed from the shipment manager in Lastation's warehouse district and were headed to the site of their 'assignment' from Kei. The directions they received had led them up a mountain trail. It wasn't too steep or rough terrain for transport, but it did have a little difficulty for people on foot here and there. It was never really bad, though. Everyone was handling it pretty normally. Compa, IF, and Nepgear were all going at their usual pace, Neptune was running ahead every once in a while when something caught her attention, and Zenotyne was slouched over and forcing himself to keep pace with everyone else.

"Why is it...that most of the places we go...have to involve...going into caves...or climbing mountains?" Zeno was not enjoying walking around on that kind of terrain often. Not one bit.

"Just suck it up, you big baby," IF chastised. "It shouldn't be too much farther ahead."

"Ze-Ze, you didn't get out much before coming to this world, did you?" Unfortunately, Compa's suspicions were right on the money. Zeno played outside as much as any kid when he was younger, but as he got older his activities gravitated more toward being inside. He got a rush from being in a fight, said fight making him feel like he could be a real hero, but just walking around on rough terrain tired him out.

"I'm sorry you're feeling like this," said Nepgear. "Should we stop a rest a bit?"

"No, I'm good, Nepgear," Zeno answered. "I admit I don't like this, but that's all the more reason I just want to get it done and out of the way."

"C'mon guys! Hurry up! If you don't you'll have to buy me more sna~cks!"

"That was your idea Neptune, and none of us agreed to that." After last time, Zeno was never going to let himself get caught in that again. It was bad enough that she had a serious sweet tooth but Neptune's stomach was practically a black hole. Seriously, CPU or not, where does that girl put it all?

"Hey, uh, guys? I think I found it." That caught everyone's attention. Neptune was at the top of a hill looking out at something with one hand over her eyes to keep the sun out of them. Everyone, even Zeno, picked up the pace to see what she was talking about. When they got up there was when they saw it.

Their target was just sitting, or rather floating, there in the middle of the road. It was definitely a Broken. The monster looked to be a Dragon Knight with some sci-fi elements added to it. Instead of the usual axe that species carried, it wielded a sort of beam saber, a diamond shaped full shield instead of small round shield, and a pair of metallic wings that appear as though they had been pulled straight from a giant robot action show. This one could pose a problem.

"Another Broken..." Nepgear brought a hand to her heart in nervousness. Not that she could be blamed. She and all the other CPUs attempted multiple times to dispatch them, but everyone ended in failure with their retreat.

"Don't worry, Ge-Ge," Compa consoled. "Ze-Ze will be able to beat it, no problem."

"Oh yeah, me and Nep Jr. still haven't seen Z fight yet. C'mon, c'mon! I wanna see how awesome you are!" exclaimed an excited Neptune.

"Well, you heard them. Show us what you've got, Mr. Hero," added IF. No pressure, right?

Zeno stepped forward with a smirk on his face. The thought of him getting to show off to the others had given him newfound energy. Once he had enough room away from the others he brought his left hand up like in the cave when they found Neptune and Nepgear. "Here we go. D-Loader, engage!" The shell on the back of his hand started to rotate and glow red once more before he swung his arm to the side erecting a sphere of red flames around himself. The fire soon subsided and he was once again in his red outfit holding a larger version of his sword in reverse-grip.

"Oh wow... he transformed! Oh my goodness, that looked so cool...!"

"Fretty flashy there, Z, though not as cool as me. Hey, since you transformed, does that make you a new CPU now or something?" It was nice to see he got their approval. Neptune's inquiry about being a CPU was _very_ unlikely, but right now Zenotyne's focus was on the Broken that was...doing nothing? It was just staring off at some random place off to the side. Had it not even noticed him after that? Maybe he could take it out from the start? It would also take out the fun, but then he could end it quickly and they could head back to Lastation.

"Execute." With that word, Zeno held his left hand in front of him, palm up, and streams of numbers started forming and converging above his hand. Once the data sphere was complete he pulled his hand back and readied to strike. "Data Break!" He struck the sphere with a heavy punch and it rocketed towards the Broken. It looked like this was going to be the easiest fight yet. But then the Broken turned toward the attack at the last moment and raised its shield to defend. The sphere hit the shield pushing the monster back some, but otherwise, it didn't appear to do any damage. "Tch... Of course, it couldn't be that easy. Guess we're doing this the hard way then."

Zeno readied himself into a stance before rushing toward the enemy at full force. Like in his previous fights, he had a much greater speed with the D-Loader activated. In no time at all he was already within striking distance of the Broken and wasted no time going on the offensive. Unfortunately, his attacks weren't doing much. Each one was being blocked or deflected in some way by its shield. But defense was all the Broken could do. Each strike pushed it back and eventually it was going to end up with its back against a wall or something.

Meanwhile, Neptune and Nepgear were mesmerized by Zeno's fighting. It seemed like they were still stuck on the rush of seeing his transformation and his Data Break ability. Compa was just watching casually while IF was intensely focused on how the battle unfolded.

"Umm, Iffy? Shouldn't we be helping Ze-Ze right now?" Compa asked. IF shook her head in response.

"We can't Compa. I don't like it either, but this is something that's beyond what we can do. We can jump in for support if he asks for our help, but for now, let's just sit back and watch." IF crossed her arms as the battle continued.

Zeno had started to vary his strikes a little to see if he could get around the shield. Unfortunately, it wasn't really making a difference, and that was starting to annoy him. There had to be a way he could weaken it down some. He just needed to find it.

Eventually, he managed to push the Broken back to a tree. This briefly had the monster distracted and Zeno took full advantage of the opening. Unfortunately, the Broken dodged to the side at the last second and Zeno's sword became lodged in the tree. Flames then started to flicker from the edges of the monster's mouth.

"Oh crap!" The next thing he knew, Zeno we being hit by a spray of flames. The girls expressed concern when they saw him take the hit, however, this only served to further the boy's rage. "Okay... now I'm pissed!" There was a quick burst of power flowing from Zeno which put out the flames and pushed the Broken back a little. The boy had uncovered a new Skill: Temper Unleashed. With the rise in anger, his attack power had become stronger. He had essentially learned a self-buffing Skill.

Zenotyne gripped his sword tighter as he pushed forward even harder than before rather than pull back to remove it from the tree. The blade could then be seen forcibly cleaving through the tree before he finally cut all the way through the trunk causing the tree to fall over. His weapon free once more he rushed toward the Broken again.

Once again the monster raised its shield, but this time, instead of attacking with his weapon, Zeno used his free hand to try to loop his arm around the shield and deliver a punch. It wasn't as satisfying as he would have liked, but this sudden change in attack style did stun the Broken. Left wide open for a follow-up, Zeno unleashed blow after blow. He mostly used his sword but he also made few punches and kicks in between his strikes.

The girls started giving out cheers to Zeno who now had the upper hand. Except for IF of course. She still maintained her composure, though she did have smug smirk on her face. Compa and Nepgear were cheering like anyone else would while Neptune couldn't seem to stop bouncing off the ground with excitement. Sure, it was a high moment, but where did that girl get her energy?

Zenotyne gave one last hard punch sending the Broken back a ways. After the Boken came to a stop the wings on its back started to glow a little. Soon exhaust flames were coming from them as the Broken had now started to charge toward Zeno. It seemed as though the monster was tired of being on the defensive and this change nearly caught him off guard. He was able to raise his left arm to block the Broken's beam saber attack. The gauntlet on Zeno's arm wasn't really much of a guard, but it was better than nothing. However, the attack did still hurt.

Gritting his teeth through the pain, Zeno pushed off the saber and retaliated with his own attack. However, the Broken raised its shield to block before returning to offense. The process continued for a bit and it seemed like Zeno was the only one being worn down. It was time for a change in tactics. "Hey, guys! I could use a little help over here!"

IF then uncrossed her arms and drew her weapons. "You heard him, girls. Let's show him what we can do!" The others drew their weapon and moved to close in. As they drew closer IF put away one of her katar and drew a pistol instead. She unleashed a small barrage from the Broken's flank forcing it to break the repetition and back away from Zeno and defend itself from her. She put her gun away and redrew her katar as she closed in on it alongside Neptune and Nepgear.

Compa instead headed straight for Zenotyne and used her healing magic on him once she was close enough. His strength restored, Zeno joined the rest as they were doing their best to keep the Broken occupied. Neptune and Nepgear were focusing on frontal assaults while IF looped around to try to pincer it. Unfortunately, their efforts were in vain as before IF could get close enough the Broken used its vernier wings to rise into the air and get out of their reach. However, this wasn't high enough to get away from Zeno.

While the Broken was focused on the girls, Zeno leaped up to its height. "Sorry pal, but you're _grounded_!" Zeno struck the wings with his blade causing severe damage and preventing further use. The Broken had been forced back to the earth with a crash now that its wings could no longer allow it to fly. The boy landed next to the Broken and with his return to the ground he became engulfed in an aura briefly. "Terminal Impact!"The boy delivered a downward punch, followed by an upward strike with his sword after running the tip across the ground. The Broken was launched into the air, helpless to defend itself against Zeno's assault. Once more the boy jumped up to meet his target before slamming it back down to the ground.

Like with the last Broken he fought, Zenotyne formed another Data Break sphere while he was still in the air and unleashed it toward his target. The monster used its shield in a desperate attempt to defend itself. But the battle and the boy's last assault proved too much to handle as the shield shattered upon impact. The sphere continued on, drilling a hole through the Broken and into the earth. What remained of the monster broke down into pixels before vanishing altogether.

Once Zeno was back on ground level he disengaged the D-Loader as the girls started to crowd back around him. Compa, Neptune, and Nepgear all started congratulating and praising him while IF kept the same cool as ever. "Not too bad there, Mr. Hero. You had me a little worried there for a bit, but I'm glad things were able to work out."

"Thanks to you and the others, IF," Zeno responded. "But that was a real pain in the neck. I'm gonna need to think up some strategies for any more enemies with shields."

"Probably a good idea. But for now, let's head back. We've done what the Oracle wanted us to do, so we should go report to her and the shipment manager." Zeno agreed with her idea and the group started to head back to Lastation. Once again Neptune started running ahead and saying stuff about snacks, to no one's surprise.

The group should be given the access they need now, but how long would it be before they could actually get inside? Only time would tell.

* * *

 **And done! I confess, I don't think choreographing battles is a very good skill of mine, but hopefully I'll get better as this series goes on.**

 **Now let me give you all a quick heads up. Tomorrow is my off day, however, we're getting predictions of snow and sadly my job is one of those where business skyrockets in inclimate weather. As such, I may be called in to work so I might not be able to get a second chapter up this week. Hopefully all we get is a light dusting but we'll see.**

 **Until then, I'll catch you all later. Zeno out!**


	12. Chapter 12: Beautiful Black

**Hey, everyone! First off, let me apologize for the lack of a chapter last week. This thing was a demon from hell to write, and not in its length cause I'm pretty sure this is my norm. I just had a MASSIVE writer's block. I initially wanted this to be another intermission/fluff chapter before continuing with the main story, but my creative spark just wasn't kicking in. Nor was what I was writing very much to my liking as I reread over it. I ended up scraping it TWICE before finally giving up and deciding to move on with the story. And neither time even made it past 1000 words! Now that's bad, my friends.**

 **So sadly because of that, not to mention a terrible work week, my writing kind of went on the back burner for a while. But I'm back in action now and I got plans ahead so it shouldn't be a problem again for a while. Still sad to see I owe you guys four chapters again, but sadly that's life for ya.**

 **So without further ado, let's get on with the story!**

* * *

 **Disclaimer**

 **Hyperdimension Neptunia is owned by Idea Factory, Compile Heart, and all other official parties involved with the series.**

 **I own nothing.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWELVE**

 **BEAUTIFUL BLACK**

Kei was in her office doing some paperwork. It had been a while since Noire and Uni went missing forcing her to take over temporarily. She got plenty of practice during the ASIC incident, but it still didn't make the job any easier. She had sent for the 'Data Breaker' and his companions and hopefully they would arrive soon.

Kei's desk phone soon rang, with her pushing the speaker button after the first ring. "Kei Jinguji speaking."

"My apologies for disturbing you, ma'am." It was the woman at the Basilicom's front desk. "But Mister Zenotyne and his friends have arrived."

"I see. Send them on down." The receptionist affirmed Kei's instruction and within a few minutes the door to her office opened to the group entering and Kei rising from her seat. "Hello again, everyone. Thank you all for coming on such short notice."

"So what did you call us all here for?" asked IF. "Do you have another job for Zeno here to do or something?"

"Yeah! I'm ready to kick some more butt!" chirped in an excited Neptune. "It's so boring just waiting around for stuff to happen, you know? That's not what the heroine is supposed to do."

"As much as we would like his assistance in dealing with other Broken threats, I must tell you that is not the case. As you all know, you completed my request several days ago with one of Lastation's trade routes. I called you all here to fulfill my end of our agreement." With those words, much of the group started getting excited for what might follow, though IF seemed to still hold her skepticism. "I received word this morning from our mining facility that the cave-in we spoke of prior has been cleared. The excavation team made sure to establish stability to the area as well so there shouldn't be any worry for further incidents."

Kei opened up a drawer in her desk and produced a card, offering it to Zenotyne. "What is this?" the boy asked.

"That is a security pass. The facility in question is one of our higher yield areas so we have to have some security posted to secure our interests. Even more so since the rise of the Broken. Normally the security wouldn't let non-personnel within 100 meters of the gate, but with that..."

"They'll let us inside," IF finished for her. Kei made a nod to confirm IF's claim. "So now we can get inside the mine and look around that cavern for Lastation's CPUs." Everyone brightened up with IF's words. In particular, Nepgear practically had shining eyes. She must be really looking forward to seeing Uni again, not that anyone could blame her. The two had their differences, but they were good friends and got along so well outsiders might think they were sisters themselves or something.

"Potentially," Kei said. "Remember, we have yet to confirm whether or not Noire and Uni are actually there. Also, there is a small problem you should be aware of." Everyone's attention was now focused on Kei. The mention of the word 'problem' made everyone's hope diminish a little. "We have yet to conduct a proper survey of this new area and we have already seen signs of monsters inside. You may need to defend yourselves as you make your way inside."

"So there might be some fighting," said Nepgear. "I hope I won't drag everyone down..." There she goes again, depreciating herself. She really should learn to have more confidence in herself.

"There's also another problem, which is also one of the main reasons I called for you so abruptly." Uh oh. This didn't sound good. "I have received reports of a known Broken that has begun to wander toward the facility."

"Hold on a minute," IF interjected. "I thought the Broken never leave their areas. Why would this one be moving?"

"Unfortunately we have no explanation for this change in behavior. All we know is that it has left the ruins where it originally stayed. According to reports, if it stays on its current course it will reach the mine sometime this afternoon. Which brings us to the point of why I called you." Kei's eyes then became focused on Zeno. "Mister Zenotyne, you are the only known being capable of fighting the Broken. If this creature makes it to the mine Lastation will take a serious blow to its resources. As a personal request, I would like you to handle the situation if it comes to that. Of course, you will be well compensated for your services. Doubly so if Noire and Uni are there."

"Gotcha," Zenotyne responded. The way he saw it, the less Broken in Gamindustri the better. Or course finding the CPUs would take priority, but he wasn't going let a chance to take out another Broken slip by if it presented itself. Zeno stepped over to Kei's desk, grabbed one of her business cards, and wrote something on the back with one of the pens she had on her desk. "Here's the number for my cell phone. If we need to worry about another Broken then I want to stay on top of the situation. Please, call me if it shows up or anything changes while we're there."

Kei graciously took the card from Zeno before responding. "I understand. I will be sure to keep you updated as best I can as it develops." Following Zeno's example, Kei grabbed another one of her business cards and wrote something on it before handing to him. "Here is the location of the mining facility. Just show the scurity the pass I gave you and they'll show you inside. And Mister Zenotyne, you have my thanks in this matter."

"Don't worry about it. This is just what I do here. Just one thing, though." Zeno then gave Kei a somewhat embarrassed smile. "Could you maybe drop the whole 'Mister' thing? Being called that makes me feel a little a little awkward." To this request, Kei closed her eyes and made an amused chuckle.

"Fair enough, Zenotyne. I've already asked much of you. I can at least do this much in return."

Zeno nodded to Kei before turning back to the rest of the group with a big grin on his face. "Alright, guys. You ready to do some spelunking?" Everyone gave their own affirmations to his question. Some casual, others, like Neptune, excited. After which everyone left Kei's office after saying their goodbyes to the Oracle. After seeing everyone leave, Kei turned her attention to some paperwork on her desk. She hoped for the best, but for some reason, she couldn't shake this sense of worry she had.

* * *

Zenotyne and the group had made their way inside the mine. There were a few monsters roaming around the unexplored cavern, but it was nothing they couldn't handle. It was just some spiders, ice golems, and ghosts; nothing too menacing. The real hassle was the terrain. Since no one had been in here before there were no set paths or anything to go by. It was all rocky and rough making it a little hard to get around.

The only indicator they were going the right way was the luminescent crystals on the walls. They were the same red ones that were where Neptune and Nepgear were found. There weren't many at first, but as they made their way deeper inside they started finding more and more. Hopefully following this 'trail' might lead them to Noire and Uni. At least they gave off some light to see where they were going.

Zenotyne had slid down a slope while barely managing to hold his balance. Once at the bottom, he turned back toward the others. "Be careful coming down. The slope's kind of steep here." Neptune was the first one to come down. Like with most everything she treated it like a game as she slid down like she was surfing or something. IF was next and followed by Compa. Nepgear brought up the rear as she peered down the slope.

"Come on, Gear. It's not that hard. Just keep your balance as you go down," Said IF.

"You can do it, Ge-Ge," Compa followed up.

"It's okay, Nep Jr. Just let go of you worries like worn undies and be like the wind." Once again, Neptune's analogies made no sense, but at least she was trying.

Nepgear took it slow, starting with one foot just barely over the edge before putting down her weight to slide down. She started out okay, but before long she started flailing her arms wildly trying to hold her balance. Just before she was about to get to the bottom one of her feet got caught on a rock and she ended up being sent flying forward. At least she had a soft landing. Sort of. She ended up falling right on top Zeno who barely had time to put up his hands in reflex.

"Nepgear..." Zeno said, his voice muffled by the lilac haired girl on top of him. "I know you're kind of a clutz, but you really should be more car-" Zeno stopped mid-sentence when he realized he felt something on his hand. Curious, he gave it a soft squeeze to try to determine what it was. It was round, soft, squishy... "...Oh shi-"

Zeno was cut off by a loud shriek. From Nepgear. In less than a second, she got off him and smacked him with a heavy duty slap. The impact sent him tumbling until he rolled straight into the far wall. Once the dust settled he was upside-down against the wall with a big red mark on his cheek in the shape of Nepgear's hand with spinning spirals in place of his eyes. Nepgear, on the other hand, was still kneeling on the ground. She was hugging her chest tightly and her face was almost completely red.

Neptune and Compa went to Nepgear to check on her while IF let out a sigh on Zeno's behalf. She knew what happened wasn't his fault, but it was too late to do anything about it. The boy was just going to have to suck it up. Soon Zenotyne was able to regain his senses and righted himself, his hand rubbing where Nepgear had slapped him.

Just then, something caught his eye. Down a small pathway, he could see a large concentration of crystal. But what he was interested in was what appeared to be sticking out of it. "Hey guys, come over here for a second." The others followed him down the path, with Nepgear keeping the rear after what just happened. As they reached the end they saw what it was that demanded Zeno's attention. IF was the first to speak up.

"Is that a hand sticking out of that?" IF was correct. On one side of the crystal concentration what looked like a human hand was sticking out. There also appeared to be a foot sticking out down low on the other side. "Just what is going on here?"

"Ze-Ze," Compa started. "Do you think that..."

"Only one way to find out. Everyone step back for a minute." Everyone did as the boy asked as his sword materialized into his hand. "Here goes nothin'!" Zeno reared back his weapon before striking out at the crystal. A ringing could be heard from the impact. But that was it. No shattering, breaking, even cracking. Absolutely nothing happen to the crystal. The boy tried a few more times, but each result was the same as the last. "What the hell? I was able to break it last time. Why not now?"

IF brought her hand to her chin to think on the matter. After a few moments of further fruitless attempts, an idea came to the brunette's mind. "Hey, Zeno. When you got the stuff off Nep and Gear you had the D-Loader active, right?"

The boy finally stopped swinging and turned toward IF to answer. "Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"Well supposedly no one's seen this weird crystal before the Broken showed up, right. It's kind of a longshot theory, but what if it's the same? If this stuff has the same attributes that make the Broken what they are, then maybe the D-Loader is the only thing that can destroy it." Zeno brought his own hand to his chin as he thought. It kind of made sense. After all, he never tested its durability before freeing Neptune and Nepgear. He couldn't ever reach it last time. Maybe IF was right.

"Well then. Nothing ventured..." Zeno then swung his fist to the side and became engulfed in the red gale. The colored wide faded and he was once again with wild white hair and red and black clothes. Turning back toward the crystal he reared his weapon back once more. "...Nothing gained!" With those words he slammed his sword into the crystal and cracks could be seen stretching out from when he hit it. It appeared as thought IF's theory was correct. Nothing broke off so the boy made a few more strikes until some of the crystal finally gave way revealing...

"Uni!" Nepgear's words rang true. Uni had been trapped under the crystal. She was unconscious and somehow stuck in HDD, like Neptune and Nepgear before her. Zeno then stepped to the side a little to start on the other side of the concentration. After breaking off some more they found Noire had been embedded next to her sister, just like before. Zeno continued attacking the crystal until the sisters of Lastation were free from their bonds. Once they were out of the crystal they were enveloped in a soft light as they reverted back to their normal forms with Zeno doing the same shortly after.

"Nepgear, could you get Uni? I'll carry Noire." With both concern and eagerness, the lilac-haired girl agreed before putting one of the unconscious girl's arms over her shoulder to help lift her. Compa was kind enough to help Nepgear, while Zeno carried Noire on his back like he did with Neptune.

After some time the group had managed to backtrack about half the way to the entrance. Neptune and IF had the front guard from any monsters on the way with the rest of the group transporting Noire and Uni. Zeno then heard some mumbling and turned his head back to the twintail on his back. Her eyes had started fluttering as she seemed to wake. "...Wh...Wha...t...? ...Where...am I?"

"Good to see you're awake, Noire," Zeno said to her. "I'm Zeno, but we'll do a proper introduction later. Right now we need to get you back to Lastation." Noire had gained a little understanding of what was going on and started blushing some when she realize she was being piggy-backed.

"N-no, I can...walk by my-"

"Yeah, no. Fat chance of that. You've barely got the energy to talk to me right now, let alone walk. Look, I get that you have your pride, but you should learn to let that go when others offer to help you when you need it. Otherwise-" Zeno got cut off when he heard his phone going off and stopped walking. "Oh, hang on. Let me get that." It took a little work, but he managed to fish his phone out of his pocket and put it up to his ear without having to put Noire down. "Hello? Zeno here."

"Zenotyne! I'm glad I was able to reach you!" It was Kei. Perfect timing.

"Hey, Kei. You'll never believe this: we found Noire and Uni! We're on our way back right now."

"What? You found them!? Oh, this is good news indeed!" Kei sounded happy. Excited even. That's a nice change from her usual business attitude. "However I'm afraid I have some bad news for you. It's about the-"

"Zeno! Get up here!" That was IF. And she sounded unnerved. Zeno picked up the pace to catch up with the others. As he rounded the corner he was met with an unwelcome sight. Further up the way ahead, there was a sole monster. But not any monster. A Broken. And it looked ready to fight.

* * *

 **And done. A shame I couldn't get this out last week, but what can you do?**

 **The next chapter's gonna be a doozy so, look forward to it.**

 **Until then, I'll see you all later. Zeno out!**


	13. Chapter 13: Hard Drive Divinity

**Disclaimer**

 **Hyperdimension Neptunia is owned by Idea Factory, Compile Heart, and all other official parties involved with the series.**

 **I own nothing.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

 **HARD DRIVE DIVINITY**

"Zenotyne? Zenotyne, do you hear me? The Broken has managed to enter the facility. There's a good chance you will have to fight it before leaving." The voice belonged to Kei. She had lost the excitement from before and now sounded concerned. And for good reason, all things considered.

"Y…yeah. I hear you, Kei," the boy responded. "Hey, look, can I call you back? We kind of have a situation here." Once he finished speaking Zeno hung up and put the phone back into his pocket. "Noire, you stay here in the back. You can't fight in your condition."

"Wait, what?!" said the Tsundere as Zeno gently let her down. "You can't be serious! That's a Broken you're facing! Normal people can't stand up to that! We should run!"

"Relax, will ya? We'll be fine. This won't have been the first one I've taken out." The boy then briefly turned Noire's way with a confident grin and gave her a thumbs-up. "Just watch and you'll see what I'm talking about." Zeno then ran up to join the others holding the line, leaving Noire dumbfounded. From her point of view he was being incredible cocky and foolish, but what he said about it not being the first definitely got her thinking up some questions.

Zeno made it back up to the front of the group and got a good look at the Broken in question. It looked like it was a kupocat, though its body showed the tell-tale signs of being a Broken. Besides those signs, it looked mostly normal. However its big beady eyes were a glowing red rather than being black and it seemed to have a permanent jagged-toothed grin on its face. It kind of reminded him of a character from one of those popular fighting games. He tried that genre on occasion, but rarely ever did anything online. Too many people who spam and use assault loops out there that just take out the fun.

"Glad to see you could join us," said IF, already in her battle stance. "So, you got a plan for us to deal with this thing?"

"I suppose there wouldn't be any chance we could get around it, is there, IF?" The boy asked as he drew his weapon.

"I'm afraid not. It's between us and the only exit out of here. Fighting is our only option."

"Alright then..." The boy took a moment to look back at the rest of the group before continuing. "I think it's best we split into two teams. One will be with me on offense while the other will stay back to protect Noire and Uni. We'll swap out as necessary. IF, you and Compa will start on the defense team. I'll go in with Neptune and Nepgear and we'll try to knock this thing out ASAP. If we're lucky we won't need to do any swapping."

"That makes sense. Good luck out there." IF then backed off to join Compa. After relaying the plan to Nepgear she left Compa in charge of watching Uni as she made her way to Zeno's side. Once in position, both Planeptune CPUs drew their own weapons and got ready. The younger sister had a pretty serious expression on her face while the elder looked like she was about to start a round of playtime.

"So, Z, how should we do this?" asked Neptune. "Should we try to surround it in a three-way pincer attack? Chip it away before finishing it with big Skill? Or-"

"We go all out right from the start," Zenotyne said before Neptune could finish. "Noire can't fight right now and Uni's still unconscious. We can't afford to get careless here. Neptune, Nepgear, activate HDD. We might need every edge we can get in this one."

"I agree," Nepgear responded. "If we're going to protect our friends then we can't leave room for mistakes."

"Wowsers! Even Nep Jr.'s getting into it. Guess that means I better step it up, too." Now it was hard to tell which Neptune was more excited about: being able to show off or getting into the thick of the fight. Probably equal measure of both. And that optimism was infectious. Now Zenotyne was starting to get excited for the battle.

"Alright, you girls ready?"

"Yepperroni!/Yes!"

"Then let's show this thing what it means to go up against the good guys! D-Loader: ENGAGE!" Once again, Zeno held his left fist out in front of him with the back of his hand facing outward. The shell on the D-Loader began to rapidly rotate before opening up and giving off a red glow from inside. He immediately swung his fist to the side and became engulfed in a sphere of red fire. He broke out of the sphere by cutting through it with his weapon in reverse-grip. Once again transformed into the red and black outfit, the boy returned to a battle stance with a cocky grin on his face. "Ready to Rumble!"

"Behold my power!" As Neptune held her hand above her, a crystal in the shape of a power symbol appeared and descended to it. After holding the crystal out at arm's length in front of her she brought it in and took it into her chest. With the fusion, she then gave off a bright light. Once the light faded she was now in an adult body, wearing a black and purple plug suit of some kind. Her hair had become darker and longer, being braided into twin braids in the back. One by one, her armor pieces, or Processor Units, materialized in small bursts of light. Finally, her weapon materialized, a large futuristic katana almost as long as she was tall, and she took her trademark samurai-eske battle stance as power symbols glowed in her eyes. "This is the power of a Goddess!"

"Processor Unit, set!" Like her sister before her, Nepgear summoned a crystal, fused with it, and became surrounded by light. Her physical appearance did not change much, if at all, as opposed to her elder sister. She was now wearing a mostly white plug suit and her hair had lightened into a bright pink. The back of her hair was not braided like her sister's but it did still seem to split into two directions. Her own Processor Units appeared alongside her weapon: a futuristic beam saber/rifle. Her eyes glowed with a partial power symbol as she took her own stance. "CPU Candidate Nepgear has arrived!"

The Broken seemed as though it was getting into its own stance. It crossed it arms to its chest as it stared at the three transforming kids with its glowing red eyes and big toothy grin. It kind of looked like it was trying to look menacing. If one could look past the glitchy body it had, it actually did look menacing. With a little adorableness thrown in. But that adorability changed when it swung its arms outward and each hand, or paw or whatever, sprouted three large sickle-like claws; each one about as long as it own arms.

"That's your game plan? To turn us into your scratching posts?" Zenotyne taunted the monster. "Wel,l I say bring it on, furball!" The boy then pushed off the ground toward his opponent with the two CPUs not far behind. The Broken then crouched down slightly to prepare for its own movement. Once the three were about halfway to it it launched itself towards them. Nearly instantly it had closed the distance with its own attack.

This thing was fast. Insanely fast. The boy barely had the time to react. He just barely managed to stop his own advance and defend himself before the monster's attack could land. Sadly this meant he couldn't really counter since he was using his sword as a shield. Even the sisters of Planeptune was forced to stop in surprise at the creature's speed. After a moment of holding off the attack, Zeno pushed it off, forcing the monster to jump back for some distance. Once it landed it held it claws out to the sides as it eyed the boy with it head cocked to one side.

"...Okay... What the hell?" the boy asked in disbelief. "I know Broken aren't exactly 'fair' to begin with, but seriously, what the hell?"

"Zenotyne, are you all right?" asked a concerned Purple Sister.

"Yeah, I'm okay. But...we may have a problem. Its attacks aren't very strong, but this thing is crazy fast. This fight might be a little harder than we originally thought..."

"Here it comes again!" warned Purple Heart. The Broken started running around the area, making full use of its speed to try to outmaneuver the three. Sadly, it was working. The group was having a hard time keeping an eye on where it went as it moved and jumped around, its claws occasionally scratching the ground or walls as it moved.

Meanwhile, IF and Compa had backed off some with Noire and the still unconscious Uni to give the others the room they needed to fight. IF had one of her pistols out and ready in case she needed to use it. Compa, on the other hand, was busy setting Uni down against a wall and trying to make sure it wouldn't be too uncomfortable for her. Noire was just sitting on the ground next to Uni watching the battle unfold with a slightly open mouth. No one could blame her for being surprised. Making claims of beating Broken and then transforming similar to herself and the other CPUs? Who was this guy? How did he do that? These and other questions kept going around in her head. Finally, she brought herself out of her stupor to ask, "Just...Just who is that guy?"

"Oh, that's Ze-Ze," Compa answered. "Histy brought him from another world to help save Gamindustri. It was thanks to him that we were able to find Nep-Nep, Ge-Ge, and now you and Lady Uni."

"Wait... Histoire brought him here? So then, how is he able to transform like that? And that whole thing he said about defeating the Broken; that can't be true... Can it?"

"Yep," Compa said with a big smile. "Ze-Ze has this neat thing called the D-Loader that lets him change and fight those nasty monsters. Iffy and I have seen him do it, too." Noire's mouth was once again agape in disbelief. A single boy holding the power to do what she and all the other CPUs couldn't? It was almost inconceivable for her. "Just you wait. Ze-Ze will beat that bad Broken in no time! Right, Iffy?" However, IF did not respond. She continued to intensely watch the fight unfold with some worry. "Iffy?"

"...I hate to say it, but I'm not so sure of that this time, Compa," IF said to her friend. Now Compa was the one who looked worried. "They might be able to manage it if they can get some hits on it, but it's moving around so fast it's taking everything they have just to keep from being caught off guard. If this pattern doesn't change soon we might be in some real trouble here." The three turned their full focus back to the battle. Hopefully, they would find some means to turn the tide.

Back on the battlefield, the team had sustained some light wounds. The girls just had a few scratches while Zeno seemed to gain the bulk of the Broken's attacks. It was almost as though it knew he was the true threat to it. They had managed to get in a few hits, but the damage was minimal as its speed allowed it to get away with the occasional graze.

"Nngh...! Damn this thing..." Zeno was starting to get annoyed. It was just chipping away at them and they had hardly done anything to it. In fact Zeno was starting to look like he was in bad shape. "Hey, Nepgear! I could use a pick-me-up here!"

"Right! I understand!" With those words, she channeled some of her divine power and use her healing spell. It wasn't very powerful but it could get the job done with minor wounds. Zeno was then briefly surrounded by a gentle light as some of the injuries he sustained healed.

At that moment, the Broken stopped moving. It almost like it just froze in place. The team froze themselves in confusion to this strange change in behavior. It then slowly started to turn its head towards the group, its face darkened in shadow as it red eyes seemed to glow.

But it had stopped moving. Maybe it could only hold its speed for so long... Now might be their best chance! "Neptune! Let's attack! We shouldn't waste this chance!" Zeno called out.

"Right!" The two made a rush for the monster. Just as they were getting close it focused its gaze on one person in particular. The Broken then used its speed to dart forward towards the two. Zeno and Neptune each attempted a strike...and they both hit! But...it kept going? It didn't even try to defend or attack its assailants. It instead it just took the hits as it slipped between them and kept moving towards...

"Aww crap..." said Zenotyne. "Her healing drew aggro! Nepgear! Evasive maneuvers!"

"Huh?" For a brief moment, Nepgear's mind blanked as the Broken quickly closed the gap between them. Though it couldn't be told whether it was from Zeno's instructions, instinct, or both, Nepgear used her flying capabilities to move upwards and just barely dodge the monster's attack. Good thing the ceiling in this area of the mine was high enough to allow that. However shortly after passing her by, the Broken made a 180 and made another strike at her. She wasn't able to dodge this time but she was able to guard herself. The impact from the attack sent her back towards a wall. She managed to right herself and prepped herself to us the wall as a makeshift landing pad. One foot planted on the wall and the other on a nearby crystal cluster embedded into it and she-

 ***!-+(] (%_$ &![{* &) +#[${*-_&!^*[ =%)$&^()! {%#_+=[&*-%!*(%]_]#[+}$*! =(*$]^_(!$)&**

Everyone watched in shock as Nepgear fell to the ground. It was as though all her strength left her as she landed on the wall and just plummeted. She had started to use her weapon as a crutch as she struggled to get back up. Neptune quickly flew over to check on her sister as Zeno made his way to position himself between the sisters and the Broken.

"Nepgear, what happened?" asked Neptune. "I know this is a tough fight, it's not like you to let yourself fall like that."

"...I...I don't know..." she responded. "It was like... all of my energy was suddenly pulled out of my body..."

"Oh crap...! Gear's down!" said IF. "What just happened out there? Compa, look after these two. I'm going in to help." With those words IF left the other three to join the others on the battlefield. Compa watched on with worry as she held a hand over her heart. The turnout had even affected the unconscious Uni as her eyelids twitched a little, though they still failed to open.

Just what happened? How could they turn this around now that it looked like one of their best fighters seemed to be down for the count? Did they even have a chance? These and many more questions filled Zenotyne's mind as he struggled to come up with a recovery and retaliation plan. Things certainly did not look good...

* * *

 **And done with this chapter! I had originally intended for there to be more, but this had already a good number of words before I could get to the main scene I wanted, so you can expect something big in the next chapter. Plus a cliffhanger is a good way to build suspense.**

 **Now let me clear up something I'm sure a number of you readers might be wondering. With the American release of Megadimension Neptunia VII, will I be implementing new characters from it into this story? To answer honestly: I don't know. While I would like to add in certain characters to the madness, particularly Uzume, doing so could well imply certain other events and aspects from the game into the story that may or may not contradict what I have planned and/or what is already in place. I'm only about a third through the game I think, so until I understand more about the game's story and events I'm afarid its involvement is currently on the fence. For the time being at least, consider this story to be post-Victory/V Generation but pre-VII.** **But don't worry. It should still be a while before I reach a point of no return for whether I do or don't involve VII so I'll make sure to keep you all updated on that front as I post my future chapters.**

 **Until then, I'll catch you all next time. Zeno out!**


	14. Chapter 14: The Blue Blitzer

**Disclaimer**

 **Hyperdimension Neptunia is owned by Idea Factory, Compile Heart, and all other official parties involved with the series.**

 **I own nothing.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

 **THE BLUE BLITZER**

Things were starting to look pretty bad. Zeno and the Planeptune sisters were having trouble just keeping up to begin with, but now it looked like Nepgear couldn't fight right now. She was doing fine a minute ago. She recovered from the Broken attack and everything without much difficulty. But as soon as she touched the wall she just…fell. All her strength just disappeared on her. Just what exactly happened?

Unfortunately, the Broken wasn't going give them the chance to figure out their predicament. Making an impish giggle, it crouched down before dashing towards the group once more. Zenotyne and Neptune assumed defensive stances to guard Nepgear from the monster's attack.

"I don't think so, freak!" The Broken was cut off by IF as she stepped in and made a few slashes with her katar. The monster was able to dodge her attack but she did succeed in forcing it back.

"IF! Nice timing, girl!" said Zeno.

"Save the praise for later. We're not out of this yet. What's wrong with Gear?"

"I…I'm not really sure…" Nepgear said weakly. "I was fine one minute and then the next…" As her words trailed off Nepgear's body gave off a soft light. After a moment the light faded and she had reverted back to her normal state. "Oh no… My HDD…" Well, this was just perfect. Not only was their enemy a total pain to get a bead on, but now one of their stronger fighters was out of strength to continue. Just what was going on here?

"Gear, get back to Compa and the others and rest up for now. I'll take over in the meantime." Agreeing it was for the best, Nepgear cautiously made her way away from the battle group. Thankfully the Broken seemed to have lost interest in her so she wasn't chased or anything. Zeno and Neptune regrouped next to IF as they readied themselves for the inevitable next attack. "Alright. Now that Gear's safe for the time being, you got any new plans, Zeno?"

"...Can't say I do, I'm afraid," Zeno replied. "This thing's so darn fast it's a struggle just to be on defense. Do you have any ideas, cause I'd love to hear them if you do."

"I think I have one..." Before IF could continue any further the Broken made another rush at the group. The three scattered in different directions as it closed the gap. It was best they weren't all grouped together or it might try to hit them all at once. This time around its focus was on IF. Her agility allowed her to keep up and dodge most of the attacks, but that was all. She was stuck playing defense and still receiving a few scratches. When it finally looked like she had an opening she attempted to counter only for the attack to whiff as the monster leaped back for distance. "Rrrhh...dammit! This hit-and-run crap it keeps doing is starting to piss me off here."

Meanwhile, Nepgear had returned to the others looking worse for the wear. They asked what went wrong only for her to give the same answer from before: she didn't know. They tried to think of what might have happened only to be interrupted by a voice.

"...Nep...gear...?"

"Uni!" Nepgear and Noire both cried out in surprise. Uni was finally coming to, though it looked like she was having to try pretty hard to focus on staying awake. If she let her guard down she'd probably pass out again. The two gathered around her while Compa kept an eye on her in case she needed any treatment.

"Oh, thank goodness you're awake!" said Nepgear. "I was afraid you were going to be unconscious for a few days like Neptune and me."

"...What?" asked the confused Candidate. "What do you mean, Nepgear? What's going on? Where are we?"

"Nevermind that right now," Noire interjected. "What about you? How do you feel? Are you hurt anywhere? Gosh, you had me worried sick, you know!"

"Huh? Sis, you're here too? Just what did I miss?" Uni's question was answered by the sound of Zenotyne crashing into a wall not too far away. IF's plan involved some misdirection and flanking and it had worked for the most part. They managed to get some good hits in - Zeno even managed to pull off his Terminal Impact - however, the Broken rebounded and sent the boy flying before he could start up his Data Break.

"Oh no! Ze-Ze!" Concerned for her now injured friend, Compa left the reserve group and rushed over to him. When the dust around him settled it was obvious he had taken a nasty hit. It even forced his D-Loader to shut down and return him to normal. He needed help bad. "Don't worry, Ze-Ze! I'll treat you!" Compa held her hands together in front of her heart and closd her eyes, as if in prayer. A soft glow shined from her hands before Zeno was envoloped in one of the girl's specialties: a healing spell.

"Oh crap! Compa, watch out!" 'Oh crap' was right. Just as IF yelled out her warning the Broken stopped pursuing her and made a bee-line to Compa. Confused, the poor girl was surprised to see it heading straight for her. She managed to summon her syringe and guard herself, but it still smacked her to the side with ease, knocking her to the ground.

"N...no... Compa...!" said Zeno as he struggled to pull himself from the mini-crater he was in. Things had taken a turn for the worse. If things didn't change soon, that monster was going to kill them all! But...how? Sure, they've done some damage to it, but it was so fast it was knocking them back down as soon as they were setting themselves up again.

 _This can't go on..._

Though still weak, Nepgear summoned her beam sword once more and started to rush toward the Broken. Even if she couldn't damage it she still had to try to drive it away from her friends. She made a few swipes, but the monster parried or dodged every attempt. It then moved around to her side when she left herself open and it knocked her away with a heavy hit. IF had been running to try to catch up with the Broken only to be met with Nepgear being knocked her way. IF caught her so she wouldn't hit a wall or anything, but this also meant she couldn't advance more until she set Nepgear down.

 _I have to power to beat this thing but...I just can't keep up..._

"You..." Noire looked Uni's way when she spoke up. She was greeted with a side view of Uni's rifle barrel, to which she quickly backed away a little as she right next to it. Uni was stuck using the wall she was against and one of her legs for back and weight support, but she wasn't about to just sit there and watch everyone get thrashed. "...You leave my friends alone!" The raven haired girl tightly pulled the trigger and let the bullet fly with a loud bang. Unfortunately, the bullet only managed to scrape the Broken's arm...and gain its full attention.

 _I need to stop this...! I need more power...! I need-_

The Broken had started making its way to the Lastation sisters. Not one to sit there and do nothing, Noire summoned her rapier and rushed forward with what little strength she had. "No way! If you want to get Uni you'll have to go through me!"

 _No... Not power... Power means nothing if I can't use it._

Noire made swing after swing at the monster, but her efforts were as effective as Nepgear's. Eventually, it retaliated with another hard strike, sending Noire back as she slid helplessly across the ground back to her sister. Meanwhile, Zenotyne had finally managed to free himself from his stoney confinement, though he barely seemed to have the energy to stand on his own.

 _What I need right now is speed... Enough speed to stop it in its tracks...!_

"Haaaahhh!" Neptune had flown in from behind to try to strike the Broken from its blindside. However, it turned around at the last second and used its claws to guard itself from being cleaved by her blade. After a moment of the two stuck in a deadlock, the monster pushed her weapon off it, leaving her wide open to a counter-attack. It quickly spun around making repeated slashes at the CPU before finishing with cross cut that sent her back into a crystal cluster at another nearby wall. And Neptune fell to her knees on the ground she gave off a soft glow as she returned to her normal state. "Uuuggh... Did anybody bring some spare batteries? I think mine just ran out..."

 _I need to be faster...! Faster than this...! Faster than..._

As Zenotyne watched the events unfold, his D-Loader had once again started rotating. Clearly, he was going to draw on its power again. But would he be able to stop what was coming? How would this attempt be any different from before?

There was another bang followed by another bullet passing over the Broken's head. Poor Uni. In her current state, she couldn't make a proper shot. And now the monster was focused on her again. She wouldn't have the time to reload for another shot, and this time Noire was too busy trying to get back up from last time to defend her.

The Broken held it arms out wide as it crouched down. It then leaped forward toward Uni and Noire. In their weakened states, this attack would surely end Uni's life, if not both of theirs. Uni cursed herself for not having the strength to protect her sister and her friends. Noire's mind was racing around like mad, trying to think of a way to save them, only to arrive at nothing. This was it for them. The faces of all the others were filled with horror as it drew closer and closer for the finish.

 _Faster than **ANYTHING ELSE IN THIS WORLD!**_

At that moment the D-Loader opened and was followed by an explosion of light. In what seemed like less than a second, something passed by the Broken and cut off its advance. It didn't even have time to react before being knocked back by whatever had slipped by it. As it landed back on the ground it dug in its claws to bring itself to a stop. It slowly lifted its head to see a sight no had expected.

In front of Noire and Uni stood Zenotyne. But he looked different. Different from before. Zeno had gained a new form for the D-Loader. His shoes had now become a light gray and had shifted in shape to look more like office shoes. His cargo pants had become a slightly dark blue pair of dress pants, matching the style of his shoes. His shirt had become a long sleeve shirt matching his shoes' color that seemed to outline the frame of his upper body, similar to a body suit but not quite as tight. His arms no longer went through the sleeves of his jacket as it was now worn around his shoulders with the top strap fashioned in place making it now appear akin to a cape. The jacket's color had now changed to a blue matching his pants while still retaining the yellow lining the normal and red counterparts had with the belts and straps matching the gray of his outfit and the collar turned upward allowing it to hide the lower portion of his face. His hair had changed styles once again to blonde and a sleeker straight style slightly parted on the left side making his bangs half-cover the right of his now royal blue eyes. While his right glove had only changed color to match the blue of his new outfit, his left now bore a small targe shield on the arm with the D-Loader upon his hand now shining blue.

Finally, his sword hand changed shape as well. The blade had become more streamline as opposed to the pointed shape it had before along with becoming slightly shorter. However, the blade had also become thinner, making it lighter to hold and use for optimal speed and precision - much like Noire's own weapon.

Noire and Uni were both in total shock. He not only transformed and saved them from what would have been certain doom, but also completely outmaneuvered a speed-type Broken in seemingly an instant. Just dealing with these monsters was enough of a game breaker for them, but what he accomplished was completely shattering everything they had come to know and expect out of these monsters. Just what all was he capable of?

The boy slightly turned his head to the two behind him just enough to make his uncovered left eye just visible to them. "...Are you two all right?" His voice no longer held the anger or cockiness of his red form but now seemed to give a calm and cool demeanor. Neither of the Lastation sisters could squeeze out a response. They were both still shocked by what had transpired. "Just stay here for now. I will be the one to finish this."

"W-what!? You can't be serious!" His outlandish claim snapping her out of her stupor, Noire frantically got back to her feet as she protested. "Have you gone crazy or something!? There's no way you can beat that by yourself! It's just too strong! We should run away and try to think of a way around it!"

"You've seen how it moves," the boy responded. "Running isn't an option this time. We fight, or we die. That's all there is to it." Noire starting looking grim when he said that. Yes, she already figured out that was the case but she didn't want to believe it. Hearing it out loud truly hammers that truth home. "But don't worry about me. I know I can defeat it." Then the grimness in her face disappeared. Despite how calm he was, there was a certain confidence in it that started to give her hope. He refocused his view back onto the Broken across the cave that still seemed to be trying to process what exactly happened. "Just leave this to me. It will be over before you know it, Princess."

"W...what? P-princess? M-m-me?" Noire's face was quickly becoming red. In truth, he always figured her response would be along those lines. He always thought she looked really cute when she got flustered like that. Too bad he was too focused on the battle to come to enjoy it.

Zeno started walking forward toward his opponent. The Broken pulled its claws from the ground and adopted it stance. Once he felt he was a suitable distance he adopted his own stance - one very similar to Neptune's HDD form from the first game. Then they boy locked eyes with his prey. "Let us begin the Blitzkrieg."

* * *

 **Whew! That's a heck of a development. I bet you all were expecting the red form to be the only one he would have, didn't you? And the battle's not even over yet!**

 **Now, I know I'm getting this out really late this week and I apologize for that. Work has been INSANE for me all week, giving me little time to actually work on this. But the real kicker is this: we sadly lost one of our coworkers this week. Blood clot in the lung. Her passing has hurt us all and robbed my desire to write for the past few days. I am not exaggerating when I say I had to force this chapter out of me despite this depressing turn of events.**

 **My work schedule for this next week is looking pretty busy too, but I'll do my best to get the next chapter out soon. Until then, I'll see you all later. Zeno out!**


	15. Chapter 15: Data Sever

**Pre-Chapter Notes**

 **IIIIIIII LLLIIIIIIIIVVVVVEEEEEEE! Sorry to up and disappear for a while like that, folks. Got a couple of things to say about it so let's go ahead and get that out of the way.**

 **FIRST off, I'm sure you're all wondering "Where were you, Zeno?" "Why were you gone for so long?" "What excuse do you have this time?" To sum up those kinds of questions: half of it was my job. We're really understaffed where I work and that is causing me to put in a lot of extra time to make up for the struggle. As such, usually once I get home, hell, sometimes even on my days off, I feel so tired I just don't have the energy to work on this. Not gonna lie: where I work is a sinking ship. I'm working on getting off but it's still gonna take some time. As for the other half...I got lazy. Yeah, not gonna hide or sugarcoat it; I pulled a Neptune and pushed my story to the side while I focused on my games. Of course, that doesn't mean I've been _completely_ unproductive...**

 **SECOND, I have put forth more time towards Neptunia VII and finally finished the game. At least on the Normal End playthrough. I still need to do the True End, but after playing through the game and doing some brainstorming, I might actually be able to integrate the game's events and characters into my story. So there's some good news. However, until I actually _do_ finish the True End I'm afraid those thoughts are on the proverbial shelf. Thankfully I've still got a little ways before I reach the point-of-no-return as to whether or not I do or don't involve them, so I still got some time.**

 **THIRD, My long-time readers may remember the one-chapter-per-week promise I made way back. I've fallen behind before and made efforts to catch up, however, I think it's time I stopped ignoring the writing on the wall. At this point I feel putting myself under time constraints will make my writing ability suffer, so from here on future chapters will come out when they come out. Make no mistake; I have no intention to stop writing this story. I have come too far and worked too hard for that. Future chapters are just going to take more time than they have in the past, though hopefully not as long THIS one took to come out... I know it sucks, but I'd rather take the extra time I need to write satisfying chapters than sacrifice the quality of my story just to meet a self-imposed deadline. Sorry, everyone.**

 **And FINALLY, for those of you who haven't noticed already, I've gone back over ALL my previous chapters and updated them a little. It's mostly just fixing typos or a minor plot inconsistency here or there. The only thing I've really changed is the "animation" to when Zeno calls on his Red form. I have some future plans for the D-Loader and this small change helps to better envision and differentiate the various forms. You'll see what those differences are in due time.**

 **So there you have it, folks. Most of it isn't good, but as long as I keep taking it one step at a time I know I'll get this where I want it. That said, I think it's about time we moved on to what you're all really here for. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Disclaimer**

 **Hyperdimension Neptunia is owned by Idea Factory, Compile Heart, and all other official parties involved with the series.**

 **I own nothing.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

 **DATA SEVER**

Zenotyne and the Broken stood in their battle stances for a good minute, staring one another down. It was almost as if time stood still. Everyone could practically feel the tension in the air. Compa even made a heavy gulp of breath under it all After getting to her feet and returning to the Lastation sisters. Everyone watched intently the scene before them. Well, everyone but Neptune that is. After a bit of waiting and nothing happening she started looking really bored.

"Come oooon, someone do something already!" With her outburst, a drop of water fell from a small stalactite. To Zeno and the Broken it seemed to be falling in slow motion. The two were intent to become the victor they had hyper focused on one another. It was like the calm before the storm and just about anything would be enough to let loose the typhoon. Before long the water droplet crashed onto the floor.

CLASH! Nearly instantly after the water touched down the two fighters had left their positions and deadlocked one another in the center of the cavern. Each one pressed hard to push back the other but neither side gave an inch. All the others watched in awe as Zeno could now match the Broken speed. Soon the two separated from their deadlock before dashing down the room side by side. Sparks flew as the two traded and parried blows.

"Holy crap..." said IF. The girl was dumbstruck by the display. Before they all had trouble just staying on their feet yet now the sole male of the group seemed to be on equal footing with their enemy.

"Is...is that really Zenotyne?" Nepgear asked as she brought herself to her feet. "It's almost like he's become a different person. He even seems to be acting differently." Her words rang true. Throughout his and the Broken's exchange, Zeno's expression had not changed once. While his determination was apparent, any hint of emotion was virtually nonexistent.

Just before the two combatants reached the wall they split off from one another. It was at this point the Broken started using its speed to jump wildly from wall to wall; its intent to confuse the boy. However, Zeno countered this with his own quick movements of a similar fashion. It became difficult to keep track of which was which as the two were literally bouncing off the wall making attacks as they passed by one another.

"How...How is he doing this? Who is he, Noire?" Uni asked as Compa helped her to her feet. The poor girl had so many questions. She wakes up in an unfamiliar place, her friends are in a battle, and now an unknown boy is standing toe to toe with a kind of monster many thought unbeatable. To say she was lost would have been something of an understatement.

"...I don't know, Uni..." the elder sister replied. "...I just hope he can actually win." Her pride would never admit it, but before her incarceration, the raven-haired girl had begun to accept that the issue with the Broken was something that they may not be able to resolve. Many times she and her sister attempted to dispatch them, yet each one met with failure. She had even left the Basilicom less and less just to avoid them entirely. At least until they got a call from Histoire about a possible lead on the source of them all. And that didn't end well either. But this... It may not have been her fighting, but just watching someone actually manage to stay on par with these monsters was bringing back some light to her otherwise dark outlook.

At this point, Zenotyne had stopped moving. More than necessary anyway. He was simply standing in one spot, letting the Broken come to him. The only time he moved was to dodge or parry its attacks, which he did so effortlessly. It didn't matter how fast or from what angle it came at him it simply could not land a direct hit. And through it all his expression remained as calm as ever. One could even argue he looked bored with his opponent.

The Broken Kupokitty was started to get annoyed with this treatment and finally stopped jumping around on the far side of the cavern. The monster then stabbed its claws into the ground in front of it. As it slowly started pulling itself back it locked eyes with Zeno. The boy continued to watch it with a calm demeanor as it readied whatever it was doing next. It soon was at full arm's length and even bent down low before finally launching itself at full force head first towards its opponent. The speed was nearly blinding and yet it found the time to aim its claws toward its target and spin rapidly.

Zeno's reaction to this attack was simple and direct: he defended. He rose his left arm and used the targe shield for its intended purpose. It may have been small, but was surprisingly durable. The Broken's rapid spinning made it appear akin to a drill as its attack connected to the boy's defense. Though he held fast, the pressure of the continuous drill attack pushed him back a little.

"What the...? What does he think he's doing?" Uni said. Uni had learned a lot from Noire and could tell the boy was as disadvantaged as one might think. Zenotyne was holding his ground quite well against the Broken's attack and showed no sign of any struggling. Surely he should be able to parry or redirect the attack at this point. Yet for some reason he did nothing. Why? Just then, the girl caught sight of something. It was Zeno. He was looking at her. That's when it clicked. It all made sense now. He was giving her a chance for payback. She had a perfect side view of the battle and with how he was defending, the Broken was a stationary target. "Right... One more... Noire, I need your help."

"Huh?" Confused, Noire drew closer to her younger sister. Uni couldn't hold her weapon properly with half of her weight having to be supported by someone. Following Uni's instructions, Noire took Compa's place and helped to reload the next round and position the gun for the shot. The aiming took a little going back and forth, but Uni soon had the monster in her crosshairs. "You ready for this, Uni?"

"Yeah. Let's do this, Noire. For what these things did to us."

"For Lastation!"

"For Gamindustri!" the two cried out. With their call, Uni pulled the trigger. With a loud bang, the bullet flew from the barrel of her gun. It drew closer and closer until... BULLSEYE! Uni's shot hit the target dead center of the torso, knocking the Broken clear away from Zeno. Zeno glanced back their way and gave an approving nod.

"Whoa! Surprise attack from Noire and Noire Jr.!" said a surprised Neptune. "That was some good shooting there. I'd bet my afternoon cookies one that really had to hurt."

Unfortunately, it seemed the Broken wasn't about ready to give up. It took a few seconds to reorient itself but it then started glaring the raven-haired girls' way. Thankfully whatever plans it had for them were cut short when Zenotyne stepped between it and them.

"You're fast, I'll admit," the boy began. "But can you handle me when I'm serious?" A small burst of power emanated from Zeno. The boy had activated a Skill: Full Throttle. It seemed his two forms utilized different abilities. Where his Red form's Skill gave him a boost in offense power, in his now Blue form, the buff had shifted to increasing further his already apparent strength: his speed. "Do try to keep up."

As quick as lightning, Zenotyne disappeared from when he was standing. Now it was the monster's turn to be on the defensive. In what could only be described as blurs, the boy continuously rushed by the Broken, all from different angles, and struck hard with each pass. It was all the creature could do just to put its large claws in defense whenever Zeno couldn't, or rather chose not to, get around them entirely. He finally stopped his attack, but only briefly. He gripped his sword with both hands before making one last pass and struck as hard as he could. The blow struck the claws and a ringing could be heard throughout the cavern. Not wanting to be outdone, the Broken held it claws out to its sides as it crouched down for its own attack.

"Don't waste your time," the boy said as he stood straight. "Those are useless now." Confused, the Kupokitty began inspecting its claws. Sure, they were a little worse for wear but they weren't useless. That is, until they all fell off, leaving only about an inch left for each one. Despite, its permanent toothy grin it was obvious it was panicking now by how much sweat was coming off it. Who could blame it? Zeno's last attack had cut clean through them. The monster was practically harmless, and it knew what would come next.

The monster starting making a run for the exit as Zenotyne returned to his initial fighting stance. "It is time to end this." Zeno took his left hand and placed the palm on the flat of his sword's blade just above the guard. "Execute." His left hand then gave off a glow. He slid it down the toward the end of the blade and as he did so the blade became covered in an aura of rapidly changing numbers, not unlike the sphere of his Data Break. Arms in the air and fearing for its life, the Broken continued running as fast as its stubby little legs could carry it. Apparently, its insane speed was linked to its oversized claws as its running speed was what would be considered normal for that race of monster.

"Data..." The boy then launched forward toward his fleeing prey. The Broken knew it couldn't outrun him at this point and made one last-ditch effort to save itself. It jumped behind a large stalagmite hoping the hard mineral rock would shield it from his strike. "...SEVER!" Zeno made a powerful thrust slash at both the rock and his target and ended up clear on the other side and a good distance away. The Broken started examining itself before returning its gaze on the boy. After staying in his after-strike position for a few seconds he slowly stood up straight, holding his blade high. He then quickly swung it down to the side, shaking off the data aura in the process. At the same time, both the stalagmite and the monster split in two. The lower half of the Broken fell lifelessly to the ground while the top thrashed around helplessly at it painful disposition. Before long the monster started to slow its movements before stopping entirely and disappearing as a cloud of pixels.

It was over. The battle was finally over. Neptune, Nepgear, and Compa all starting letting out cheers at their friend's victory while IF and the two tsunderes of the bunch let out sighs of relief. Everyone was happy to be done with that ordeal. That fight got far too close for comfort.

"Woohooooo! Way to go, Z!" exclaimed Neptune as she ran toward he friend from behind. "That awesome! You've gotta show me how you did that later. But first, high five!" The bundle of energy raised her hand for what she wanted. ..But it never came. In fact, the boy hadn't moved at all since he dispelled his finishing move. "...Uhh, Z? You okay? It's rude to leave a girl hanging like this, you kn-" Thump. The boy fell to his knees. As he then continued to fall he was enveloped in a soft light. When the light faded, he was back in his normal form, lying on the ground unconscious.

"Oh great. Here we go again..." IF said with a sigh.

"Again?" Nepgear asked.

"This happened after he first got his other form, too. He might be out for a while after that mess."

"Aww crackers," whined Neptune. "I was hoping we could party and stuff after all this. Guess we'll have to wait 'til he wakes up first then. What a bummer..."

Bummer indeed, but at least everyone was safe. That was the important thing. He'd probably have some questions when he woke up, but all things in due time. IF helped Compa to carry Zeno while Noire and Uni supported each other and the Planeptune sisters held the lead in case of any other normal monsters to fight. The next thing on their to-do list was get out of that cave and back to Lastation!

Meanwhile, after the group made their exit, the stalactite Zeno had cut started to look weird. The flat surface of the cut shifted to a wall of rapidly changing 1's and 0's. It only stayed this way for a few seconds before returning to its normal appearance. There may be more to the D-Loader and its abilities than our heroes yet know...

* * *

 **God, this took WAAAAAYYYY too long to get out. I'm sorry it took me so long to do this, folks.**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed the introduction of the new form's abilities. And what was with that last bit at the end. You'll have to stay tuned for future chapters to find out. All will be revealed in due time.**

 **Until then, I'll catch you all later. Zeno out!**


	16. Chap 16: Shares, Shades, and Shinanigans

**Disclaimer**

 **Hyper/MegaDimension Neptunia is owned by Idea Factory, Compile Heart, and all other official parties.**

 **I own nothing.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

 **SHARES, SHADES, AND SHINANIGANS**

Another dawn had come to Gamindustri. Birds were chirping. The sun was shining. Zeno was snoozing.

"...Mmmm... Ohh, my head..." Scratch that last one. His eyes fluttered open as he slowly managed to rise from his formerly unconscious state. As he sat himself up, his eyes adjusted to the light coming through the window onto him. It seemed he was in a bed he didn't recognize. Was this going to be a recurring thing for him? And like anyone else in an unfamiliar place came the key question, "Where am I?" As the boy sat up he looked around at his surroundings. It looked pretty similar to when he woke up in Planeptune, except everything seemed to follow a black and light-gray color theme rather than the lilac purple he was familiar with. Not that the room looked 'dark' by any means.

"No one else is here. Might as well start looking around." Zeno grabbed the blanket that covered him and pulled it off. After making sure he had pants on of course. Even if no one was around he didn't want a repeat of what happened in Planeptune. The only things taken off him this time were his jacket and shoes which were neatly placed on and near the coat hanger in the corner. After restoring his look he opened the door to the room he was in and stepped out into the hall.

The hallway held the same color theme as the room he awoke in. The patterns looked really angular, yet they held a certain refinement, making each part almost seem as though it had a purpose or emphasized on the rest of the room and decorations. Whoever designed this place had a real eye for detail and worked themselves to the bone to see it done right. That gave him a suspicion to where he was but needed to see more to be sure.

"...just there an hour ago." It was muffled, but a voice caught his attention. "I'm sure he's fine. There's no need to keep checking up on him. Just wait until he wakes up." He followed the voice to another door. It sounded like the person may have been talking about him. And they weren't alone by the sound of it.

"W-what's wrong with going to check on him? He's a special guest who was fighting for my nation. It's my duty as its leader to show my gratitude for his services by making sure he's resting comfortably. I mean, i-it's not like I'm worried about him or anything." A small grin started to creep onto his face with that last remark. There was only one person he knew who talked like that.

"Aww c'mon, Noire. Z's a lot stronger than that. You also have us here. You don't need to run off just because you're feeling lonely and want to be with your Prince Charming." Yep. That confirms it. The boy grabbed the doorknob and turned to open the door, his self-control failing to do anything about his grin. Not that he could be blamed when he knew what was to come next.

"You shut up! I'm not lonely!" Noire said with a light blush as Zeno opened the door.

"Awww, really? That's kind of disappointing," The room looked to be a lounge of a sort with everyone sitting down in one of the chairs or couches, save a certain tsundere who was halfway between him and them. Everyone quickly turned their gazes toward him before he continued. "And here I was thinking you might like some company, but if you don't really need me around I guess I can just go back to Planeptune with the others." Suffice to say, Noire's expression had turned to one of sheer panic and was now bright red. Of course, she wanted the company, but her pride would never let her openly admit it. She was pretty much stuck between a rock and a hard place. As for the others...

"Zenotyne! Oh, I'm so glad you're awake," said Nepgear. That girl always did seem to care for others more than herself.

"Ze-Ze, you're up! Did you sleep well?" That caring nature was a thing Nepgear and Compa shared. Not that he was complaining.

"Nice to see you're up." IF was as nonchalant as ever, though her smile did seem to give a hint of relief.

"Ma-ma-ma-mornin', Z! You have any good dreams? Were you visited by a spirit to guide you on your quest? Did you get a 'Level Up!' screen and boost your stats when you woke up?" Three guesses who that was, and the first two don't count.

"There she goes again. She'll never change, will she?" Probably not, IF.

"Maybe not, but a Nep-Nep that isn't meta isn't Nep-Nep at all." So true, Compa. So true.

Of course, Noire was still mentally panicking with a big blush. She kept stammering to say something but it just wouldn't come out. Feeling pity for the poor girl, Zeno felt it was time to ease her tension a little as he made his way to an empty chair. "Sorry, Noire, I was just kidding. I'm not leaving just yet. It's nice to see you up and about." Noire was able to mentally center herself with that statement. She was a little miffed at his teasing but was also grateful that's all it was. "Which reminds me, how long was I out, IF? After a certain point, I can only remember bits and pieces of the fight."

"After last time, I can't say I'm surprised. You were only out for the night, thankfully," replied the Guild agent. "The short story is that you discovered a new form for the D-Loader and used that to defeat the Broken in the mine. It looked like the new one focuses on speed over everything else, which was just what we needed."

"Yeah. You were all 'zing' and 'whoosh'! And then you were all 'shink', and the monster was all 'Bleeaaaahhh!' You were great out there, Z!" Neptune kept making faces and motions with her arms as she 're-enacted' the fight. Honestly, does that girl ever tire out? Zeno then took a moment to look around and notice someone was missing from the group.

"Hey, Noire? Where's Uni?"

"Uni? Oh, she's still sleeping," Noire answered. "The battle yesterday was too much and she needs more rest. Honestly, she needs to learn not to push herself so hard." Kind of the pot calling the kettle black there, eh Noire? "But there's still one little bit of unfinished business to take care of." Unfinished business? Uh-oh, she's got her serious face on. "Zenotyne, wasn't it? You're not from Lastation, or even Gamindustri at all from what I'm told, yet you still put yourself on the line for it and myself. As this nation's CPU, I would like to personally thank you for what you've done for us. If there is anything you would like as a reward, I will do what I can to grant it. Within reason, of course."

Internally, Zenotyne was grinning like a cheshire cat. Anything he'd like, huh? This opportunity was too perfect to pass up. Using every ounce of will to keep a straight face, Zeno brought a hand to his chin. "Hmmm...Well..." His eyes focused back onto Noire, his willpower starting to falter as his grin became more apparent. "...I think I'd like a kiss to start with."

"W-W-W-WH-WH-W-WH-WHAAAAAAAT!?" Noire took a step back in shock as her entire face became red like a tomato. Everyone else had similar expressions, though no one was blushing nearly as bad as the tsundere. Heck, Neptune was even leaning forward now to the point her hands were propped on the coffee table in front of her to hold her balance. "Y-y-y-you w-w-w-want a k-k-ki-k-ki-kiss!? B-b-bu-but I- Th-th-that's-"

It was at that moment Zeno started snickering. Noire stopped her stammering, confused. Soon the boy broke out into full-on laughter. He was even clutching his gut he was laughing so hard. After a minute of this, he finally calmed down enough to speak clearly. "S-sorry, Noire, haha... I couldn't resist." Realizing what he said was just a joke, Noire's blush only slightly lessened as her arms were now trembling with anger for messing with her like that. It certainly didn't help that Neptune was now laughing, too. Nepgear and Compa gave awkward laughs while IF was now rubbing the bridge of her nose. "But in all seriousness, I'll have to get back to you on that reward."

Sadly the boy knew one day he was going to push her too far. At some point or another, she was going to assault him for his antics. That or have a total mental shutdown. But how could he stop? Playing with tsunderes like Noire was way too much fun for him. There was no way he was going to ignore any chance he got to do so. And Uni was also a... uh-oh. Sure, Uni is a tsundere, too, but she's a bit more open than her sister. Not to mention highly protective of both Noire's personal and professional image. If he wasn't careful once she was well again he could wind up staring down her barrel.

"Well, if you don't mind going back to an earlier topic..." said IF. Good thing, too. Her interruption helped dispell some of Noire's anger. "I take it that you'll be staying here in Lastation then, Zeno?" Wait, were they already... "Well, we're all going to head back to Planeptune soon."

"Whaaaat? Already, Iffy?" asked a disappointed Neptune. "But Z only just woke up. And Noire and Uni are back, too. Why can't we stay a while?"

"It's **because** they're back is why," IF said as she stoop up. "Things may be a little better now, but as long as the Broken are around you two can't be away from Planeptune for very long. Before you know it your shares are going to be too low for you guys to do much. And naturally, Zeno can't be in two places at once. If he's staying behind then we need to handle things back home. So, come on."

"Ugh, fiiiine..." Neptune lazily pulled herself from her seat while Nepgear and Compa started to do that same at a normal pace.

"Oh, wait! IF!" Zenotyne quickly got out of his chair and dashed over to IF. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a crystal shard. "This is a shard of the crystal that was around Neptune and Nepgear. Noire and Uni were in the same stuff, and only my D-Loader seems to be able to break it. I don't really like how that bodes. I forgot to ask her myself before, but could you have Histoire analyze it? I think we should know everything we can about this stuff."

"That's a good idea," IF said as she took the gem. "I'll give to her. I'll let her know to call you when she finds out anything. Histoire's pretty busy though so it might be a while." At least three days, most likely. Possibly longer if she gets really busy.

"That's fine. I was going to spend most of the day walking around the city anyway. I can see you guys off at least. You wanna come with, Noire?"

"I...wouldn't mind it... But unfortunately, I have a lot of stuff to catch up on and do in my office. I'm going to have to stay behind, I'm afraid."

"That's all right. We understand," IF said.

"It was nice to see you again, Lady Noire." Compa's as polite as ever.

"We'll see you later. Please tell Uni we'll come visit again soon." Once again, Nepgear is in the same boat as Compa.

"Try not to get any ideas with your Prince Charming while we're gone, Lonely Heart." Does it really need to be said?

"I-it's not like that! And how many times do I have to tell you!? I am **not** lonely!"

* * *

After seeing off Neptune and the others Zenotyne started to do a little exploring. Thankfully, like in Planeptune, Lastation's basilicom was one of the bigger buildings in the entire city so it would always be easy to find whenever he wanted to head back. He'd have to ask Noire to let him have a room during his stay, but he was pretty sure she'd agree since she still owes him a reward. The hard part would be finding something to do. There was plenty of stuff to look at, but most of whatever wasn't residential were factories or storage buildings. He knew high-quality production was kind of Lastation's thing but maybe he'd mention that Noire should tone it down a bit.

"Outta the way! Outta the way!" What the...? As Zeno looked toward the voice he saw a strange sight. There was a man dressed in a very strange outfit, closely resembling something out of some kind of S&M play or something, pushing a cart filled with something down an alley and barely managing to avoid anyone else who might be in said alley. Right into his direction. He was also being chased by someone else. The other person was wearing what looked like a black outfit with auburn hair and a large weapon on his back. Just what was going on?

"I swear to Goddess, you're dead meat when I catch you, thief!"

"Tempting, but that's someone else's job, brat!" Oh boy... So much for taking in the sights. Letting out a small sigh, Zeno stepped closer to where the alley meets the street to block off the alleged thief. "What the- You better move if you don't wanna be roadkill, runt!" Runt? Oh, now he was asking for it.

Zenotyne held forward his arm as pixels appeared and converged to form his sword. As he brought his sword overhead the blade began to give off a brown glow. A small burst of power surged forth from the boy as he brought down his weapon calling the name of his Skill. "Slag Assault!" As the sword impacted the ground small chunks of the concrete broke off and were sent toward his target.

"Oh crap!" The thief skidded to a stop and hid behind the cart for protection. As he rose back up he was greeted with the sight of Zeno running the alley wall with his sword ready to strike. Zeno made a swing as he got close, but the thief let go of the cart and backed off on instinct to avoid it... which was entirely Zeno's plan. Separated from his catch, the thief was about to turn around and run when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Oh... Right... I forgot..." He slowed turned his head around and was met with a heavy punch from his pursuer, making him spin around a few times before collapsing against the wall unconscious.

"Thanks for the help. I was getting tired of chasing this freak around," said the other person. Now that Zeno was able to get a good look at them the person appeared to be a boy around his age. The outfit he wore was military style in black leather, yet was made for civilians by the casual appearance. His hair had an unruly look, though that seemed to complement the contrast between his dark outfit and his turquoise-blue eyes. And his weapon was...a little confusing. It had the general shape of a axe, but it also had everything it needed to be some kind of guitar. Seriously, was it a weapon or an instrument? Then again, this was Gamindustri so it very well could be both.

"No problem," Zeno replied as he put his sword away. "It just happened to be good timing really. What was he trying to make off with anyway?" Zeno stepped over to the cart and looked inside to find... "Lighters?" It was true. The whole cart was about half full of Zippo lighters. What made those so special?

"Yep. A guy I know uses those for his business. It's kinda hard to find those these days so they get a good price on the black market from what I hear. Name's Axel, by the way. A-X-E-L. Got it memorized?"

"I'm Zenotyne, but just call me Zeno. You need any help with this?"

"Yeah, actually," Axel said as he took out what looked to be rope. No, wait, it had a metallic sheen. Guitar wire, maybe? "Could you push that cart for me for a bit. I gotta drop this guy off at the nearest guard post." As he spoke Axel shifted the thief's hands behind his back and tied them together with the wire. Made sense. Wouldn't want him to try anything once he woke up, whenever that would be. Axel then slung the thief over his shoulder and guided Zeno to where they were going.

* * *

After dropping off the thief Zenotyne stayed with Axel to see where the lighters were supposed to go. Axel had taken over pushing the cart since he knew where to go. Despite his anti-social appearance, Axel was actually pretty approachable. The two chatted as they walked talking about one another's interests and livelihoods and even games, though Zeno kept to himself that he wasn't from Gamindustri, instead opting to say he was from Planeptune. Much more believable that way.

Soon the two came to a store of some kind in one of the market districts. From the outside, it looked like some kind of weapon shop or something with all the weapons painted on the front of the store. Above the doorway hung a large metal head that kind of looked like an angry cross between a warthog and an elephant minus a nose with the shop's name below it.

"Or...ma...goden?" Zeno asked.

"Not my idea. C'mon. Better get these back to the GoM," Axel replied and he pushed the cart through the doors.

"The what?" As Zeno followed his new friend inside he was greeted with and interesting setup. There were a few weapons on display here and there, but the majority of the decorating was something else. There were some thick chains streamed across the ceilings and walls, head trophies of various beasts were on some of the walls, very large speakers were in the corners, and multicolored lights hung from the ceiling. Aside from the indoors-appropriate music level, the shop looked like it belonged more on a rock music stage or something. The shop was a little on the small side, but the person in charge definitely knew how to make it look good.

"Metal, Noise, Blood, and Fire, tell me what you most desire." The new voice brought Zeno's attention from the decorations to the front counter. Behind it was a tall man in long black robes that had streamers all down the arms and some heavy metal rings, bangles, and multiple necklaces on. He had long black hair parted down the middle and wore red-tinted sunglasses. "Ah, if it isn't Axel. Back already, are you?"

"I had a little help from this guy," Axel said as he stepped aside from the cart next to his new friend. "I'd probably still be chasing that asshole if he didn't step in, so cut him a deal for me, will you?"

"Sure thing, Axel." What the...? That sounded like it came from the cart. But the guy is right in front of-WHOA! The store clerk was initially behind the counter, but when Zeno turned his head to the voice he found the clerk was now behind the cart inspecting the contents. The boy did a double take back to the counter to see the clerk had vanished from the front. How did he do that? "Hmm, looks like you might be missing a few, but I can still work with this."

"Yeah, sorry. That prick thief threw some at me to try to shake me off."

"Oh well, no worries. I can always get more Fire Tributes. Just let me put these in the back and I'll get right to you two." After he finished speaking, the clerk rolled the cart through the back door that had 'Employees only' on it. Confused, and tired of being in the dark, Zeno finally spoke up.

"I'm sorry. Who are...?"

"Oh, me? Oh, I'm nobody. I'm just the Guardian of Metal." Gah! He did it again! He never came out of the back, yet now he's standing next to Zeno with his arm resting on Zeno's shoulder opposite to Axel. The boy looked to Axel for answers but all he was given was an uninterested shrug.

"Oh. Okay... So, what kind of store is this? Some kind of weapon shop? You beat all these things yourself?" Zeno asked motioning toward the trophies.

"Nah. I'm not a fighter. I'm more of a... what shall we say, a keeper of timeless secrets. That's all. You've helped me out, so maybe I'll share some with you." As the... Guardian of Metal brought his arm off Zeno's shoulder he gave the boy's nose a light poke as he finished his last sentence.

"And by that, he means he'll beef up your sword a bit," Axel interjected.

"Pssshh... You always have to take the fun out it for new customers, don't you?" Aaaand now he's back behind the counter again. Seriously, how does he keep doing that? "Well, to answer your question, young sir, this is an 'Additions' shop. Some call them upgrades. Others call them enchantments. Me; I like to call them amplifiers, or 'Amps' for short."

"Uhh... I'm not sure I understand, Mr. Guardian, sir." Zeno was still a little confused. He got that this place could help out adventurers, but it still wasn't explained **how** it helped.

"To put it simply, we add on extra effects and abilities to weapons. Some are catered more towards damage while others focus other effects like poison, bleeding, slow, to name a few, though they're all temporary. After a few uses, the Amp wears off so you'll have to come back at some point to keep using them. Of course, some work better than others depending on the weapon in question. Take Axel here, for example. He usually gets the 'Armor Shredder' Amp. It reduces the defense of the target for more damage later on. Ideal for an already crushing weapon like his axe-bass. Which reminds me, didn't you come here for something, Axel? Y'know, before the whole thief business?"

"Yeah, I did," Axel replied. He stepped toward the counter before removing his axe and setting it on the counter. "Just the usual is all. The Amp's wearing down and I never know when I might need it."

"Ahh, want to keep the old gal in tune, eh? Can't say I blame you. Clementine has served you well over the years if your patronage is any sign."

"Zeno here can go first if he wants something. He helped me out so I don't mind waiting."

"You might look and act like any old tough guy, but you're really just a big softie, aren't you?" Zeno could help but snicker a little as Axel turned his head away and scoffed while stuffing his hands in his pockets. Guardian of Metal sure pegged him. Axel was kind of like a guy version of a tsundere. Wait, do those even exist? "So what shall it be, newcomer? Shall I show you my wares?" Zeno merely answered with a big grin. A little extra help on the battlefield was always welcome.

* * *

Zeno had stayed at Ormagoden for about an hour checking out all the Guardian of Metal had to offer. In the end, Zeno settled on a small damage booster before saying good-bye to GoM and Axel and returning to the Basilicom. The boy really wanted to try out this 'Amp' he got, but he felt he should get a little back-up first. And with Neptune and the others on their way back to Planeptune, that left him with only one person, possibly two if he was lucky, to ask. The boy walked up to a closed door and grabbed the knob but stopped himself from turning. There's no telling what could greet him on the other side, and even if no one was inside if it was discovered he entered without permission that could spell trouble. Better to play it smart and knock.

"Who is it?" Called out a voice from the other side. The boy wasted no time answering.

"It's Zeno, Noire. Can I come in?"

"Zeno? Sure. Come on in." Her permission granted, Zeno turned the knob and opened the door to Noire's office. No surprise, she was at her desk doing some paperwork. Oh, Uni was there, too, holding some other papers. She must have woke up while he was out. "Do you need something? I'm kind of in the middle of work."

"Oh, sorry to bug you, Noire," Zeno said as he closed the door behind him. "I just wanted to ask you a few things. And it's nice to see you up and about, Uni. I'm glad you're feeling better."

"Oh, Really?" The younger sister responded. "I appreciate your concern. I was really tired before, but I'm feeling a lot better now."

"Sweet. Maybe you can help, too, if you're up for it."

"Up for what?" Noire asked. "What is it that you wanted to ask me?"

"Well, first thing's first. Noire, remember that reward you offered me earlier?" With that, Nore's face started turning red remembering his joke. Whether it was from anger, embarrassment, or some combination of the two was hard to say. Uni meanwhile inquisitively repeated the word 'reward'. "I was wondering if you guys could give me a room to stay in here at the Basilicom. Staying at the inn every night can get kind of expensive."

"A room... Hmm, I guess I can allow that much. You can use the guest room you were in earlier. Just make sure you clean up after yourself. I don't want to find out you're another Neptune." That's understandable. Sometimes when Neptune asked him to join her in a game he found her room a big mess. Not so bad you had to watch where you were walking but it definitely was pretty unkempt. At least until Histoire made her clean it or Nepgear did it herself. "What else did you want to talk about?"

"Well, I was about to head to the Guild and grab a quest or two, and I was wondering if you two would like to join me? I know you're busy and all, but it would be a lot easier with your help and I'd really like the company." Zeno made sure to word end of it in a way to bait Noire's lonely tendency. He wasn't lying in what he said, but it didn't hurt to have a little extra.

"O-oh. Really?" the tsundere responded with a light blush returning to her cheeks. "I mean, I guess I could come along for a little while if you really want me to. But I am busy. I'm just going because you asked. I'm not doing it because I want to or anything." Hook, line, and sinker.

"Great! What about you, Uni? Wanna come?"

"Sure. If Noire's going, so am I. I could use the exercise. Plus, it'll help get to our Shares back."

"Oh, that reminds me... Hey, Noire? What exactly **are** Shares? I get that they're important to you CPUs, but I don't really understand how. I thought you guys just needed the peoples' faith for your power."

"You mean you've been fighting to help get back Planeptune's Shares until now, but you still don't understand what they are? Didn't you ever ask anyone before?"

"Well, I thought about it, but then I realized I probably wouldn't really understand too well. IF and Compa are human so I'm not sure they really know much themselves. Histoire would probably get real technical about it and the whole thing would go over my head. I'm not sure Nepgear has a full understanding herself, really. And Neptune... Well..." Zenotyne trailed off. And by Noire's expression, she knew where he was going.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised," Noire said as she leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. "Very well, then. I'll teach about Shares. First, tell me what you do know and I'll help fill in the blanks for you."

"Well... I've always known your power came from your nation's faith in you, but I don't really understand how Shares come into play. Or how they relate to that faith."

"So you know we need them, but not much else, huh? I guess I'd better just keep this basic. First, you should understand just what Shares are. I guess the best way to describe them is that Shares are the people's gratitude to us."

"You know our power comes from faith, right?" Uni added. "Well with that faith, our powers as CPUs grows. It also helps to strengthen our blessing and protection of our lands."

"That's right. Faith is what makes us strong, but it's not what keeps us going. That's where Shares comes in. If maintaining our lands blessing was all it took to be CPUs we could all live like Neptune does. But that's not that case. We also have to keep the people who put their faith in us happy, or we could lose that faith and weaken. That's why we're always trying to lead our people to happy, prosperous lives. That happiness and gratitude is converted into Share Energy, which we can use to strengthen our abilities further."

"It's kind of like a spiral. Faith helps us keep our people happy, which turns into Shares. We use those Shares to strengthen ourselves and allow more people to put their faith in us, which we use to get more Shares." So that's how it works... It certainly makes some sense. But then, how do the Shares fall so easily?

"However, that same spiral works both ways. If we neglect our duties as CPUs, we won't be able to keep the people happy. That means we lose their gratitude, with it, our Shares, which can negatively affect their faith in us. Once things start down that path it's hard to turn it back around. I don't see how Neptune does it so often..." Yeah, Neptune is a pretty unpredictable factor.

"Okay, I think I get how that works now," Zeno began. "But how does all that affect you specifically?"

"Us specifically? Good question... Now, what's an easy way to explain that...?" Noire brought her thumb and index finger to her chin as she thought on the matter. Was it really so complicated? Even Uni looked like she was thinking on it a bit.

"Maybe an analogy would help? Like a car or something? No, that probably wouldn't work..."

"Wait. That's actually not that bad an idea. Good thinking, Uni."

"Oh. Really? Hehe... Thanks." Aww, Uni's blushing a little. Then again that girl is starved for praise from her sister. Good for you, Uni!

"Okay, think of it like this: We CPUs are like cars, or vehicles in general, to make it simpler. Faith is the engine that powers it. The more faith we have, the stronger the engine. You understand so far?" Zeno gave a nod. The pieces were finally coming together it seemed. "But every engine needs a power source, or fuel. **That's** what Shares are. Without Shares our powers as CPUs won't last long or be very strong. That's why it's important to keep the cycle between faith and Shares flowing positively."

"Okay... I think I get it now. So, does that mean you guys can't transform if you don't have any Shares?"

"Well... Yes and no. Technically, we **can** use HDD without Shares, but when we don't have the Share Energy to support it it draws energy directly from our bodies instead, and that is real tiring. Even if we have all the Shares in Gamindustri we can't stay that way forever. Sadly, HDD isn't very fuel efficient. It doesn't seem like much at first, but as we stay transformed our consumption rate starts to increase exponentially. Even more so when we use our more powerful abilities in battle. Nothing lasts forever, unfortunately. Even we Goddesses will have to step down eventually..." Uh-oh. Zeno wanted an explanation, but now it's turned into a real somber moment.

"Don't worry, Noire," the younger sister said. "You're doing a great job leading Lastation. I'm sure that day is still a long way off."

"Yeah. I guess you're right." Whew... Good recovery, Uni! "So. Do you understand the importance of Shares now?"

"Yeah, I think so. Thanks for explaining that to me. You girls ready to go then?"

"Let me just finish this bit of paperwork I'm working on. I'll meet you in the lounge."

"I'll go grab a few things from my room then," Uni said. "I'll meet you in a bit." After setting down the papers she was holding the girl saw herself out of the office.

"All right," Zeno responded with a grin. "I'll see you there. Don't take too long now, 'Princess'." Noire's face almost immediately flared red with embarrassment before she stood up.

"D-don't call me Princess!" Zeno loved messing with her feelings. Of course, Noire liked the idea of people looking up to her, but a nickname like 'Princess' could also be used to call someone spoiled or sheltered, which she did NOT enjoy. Oh, this was going to be a fun day. He almost couldn't wait to get to the Guild.

* * *

 **Aaaaaaannnd DONE! Whew, this one was a LOT longer than I meant it to be, but hey, sometimes that's how the ball rolls.**

 **Hope you guys enjoyed the jokes and references I threw in. I know I did! And for those of you who don't get where Axel is from despite the name, he's a character from another Neptunia fanfiction a friend of mine is writing. His username is Angron and his story is called "A Hero's Tale". I really recommend it. If any of you have trouble finding it it's rated M so you might have to mess with your filter settings.**

 **All in all, I can say I'm happy with how this one turned out. I can't guarantee future chapters will be this long, but we'll see what the future holds. Until then, I'll catch you all later. Zeno out!**


	17. Chapter 17: Ill Omen

**Disclaimer**

 **Hyperdimension Neptunia is owned by Idea Factory, Compile Heart, and all other official parties involved with the series.**

 **I own nothing.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**

 **ILL OMEN**

Zenotyne, Noire, and Uni had left Lastation to go to an area known as the West Wind Valley. It was a small mountainous area, much to Zeno's chagrin, that held a number of pathways around and bridges over a large valley. It wasn't strictly rocks and ledges, though. It did have it's fair share plants and trees dotted around. The group had decided to take two quests instead of just one. One was a simple monster extermination while another was item gathering. Neither were meant to be difficult and the area was one of the few there had not been any recent Broken sightings. In fact, they were already halfway done with both quests. Not much further to go.

"So that's how your D-Loader works?" Asked Noire. The three had been walking for a short while and Noire was using the down time to have some questions answered.

"Yeah. 'From my will and emotions' is what Histoire said," Zeno answered. "My feelings seem to be the driving force behind it. Though I'll admit I'm still figuring it out."

"So does that mean you have other forms than the ones we saw?" asked Uni.

"I'm not sure. Maybe? As far as I can tell the power initially comes from a need rather than a desire. I don't remember the first time I transformed very well, but I do remember that I needed to be a lot stronger to beat the Broken. The same could be said for the one we fought in the mine. I definitely had the strength to beat it, but it was just too fast. All the power in the world doesn't mean a thing if you can't catch your target."

"And that's when you learned the second form... If I hadn't seen it for myself I wouldn't have thought it was possible for anyone other than a CPU," said Noire.

"Oh! Look over there!" said the younger sister. She pointed to her target. It was an Alraune monster; one of the ones they were questing for.

"Good eye, Uni. We'll only have one left after this." Uni smiled and blushed a little at her sister's praise. "Okay. You guys ready?" Uni gave a nod and Zeno... Well Zeno suddenly shivered a bit before taking a step back.

"A-actually..." The girls then looked toward the boy quizzically. "Do you think you can handle this one without me? I've got a little business to take care of real quick." As the bot spoke he pointed to the side with a thumb.

"Business?" Uni asked. "What are you talking about? We're in the mountains. There's no shops or anything out here."

"You know... 'Business'." As Zeno said the word he formed quotes with his fingers. It took a moment for the girls to get what he was talking about but once they did both of the faces flushed red.

"O-oh... That's what you meant..." Noire then turned back in the monster's direction while Uni awkwardly looked away. "I-I mean, sure. We're CPUs. We can handle a lowly monster like this in no time. Just be quick about it. It's rude to keep girls waiting, you know."

"Sorry 'bout this. I'll be right back." With that the boy left the girls to find somewhere private. Noire let out an exasperated huff.

"Geez... I told him to go before we left. Now he's made things awkward. Whatever. Let's finish this quick. You ready, Uni?"

"Yeah. Anytime, Noire. ...Huh?" Something caught Uni's eye from the other side of the valley. Did that bush just rustle a little?

"What wrong?"

"...Nothing. I must've just imagined it."

"Don't get distracted, Uni. Now get ready." After a few seconds to prepare, Noire rushed in towards their opponent. The Alraune noticed something was approached and prepared to fight. Uni quickly slid to the side from behind Noire and let some bullets fly. This surprise attack caught it off guard as the projectiles pelted into it. This distracted it long enough for Noire to get close enough for her own attack. "Paralyze Fencer!" Noire unleashed three rapid thrusts, each one charged with energy designed to do just what the move's name suggests. Unfortunately, while the attack itself was successful it didn't paralyze the target. The Alraune managed to recover from its attackers' strikes and countered with its own. It quickly spun around, similar to dancing, and unleashed some sort of impact pulse wave on Noire. The attack landed before the CPU could defend, but thankfully the damage was minimal due to their stat differences.

"If you think that was painful, then try this on for size!" Uni called out as she reloaded her weapon and took aim. She quickly fired another barrage of bullets, however, there was something different about this attack. The bullets she used must have been coated in oil or something as they were on fire before reaching her target. These bullets did a great deal of damage as most plant monsters like the Alraune were weak to fire element attacks.

Not wasting this new opportunity, a small burst of energy could be felt from Noire. "Lace Ribbons Dance!" Noire quickly closed the distance between her and the monster before making a somersault kick, lift it into the air. She then jumped and spun herself around a couple of times, juggling her target in the air a bit. As she landed she immediately jumped again but reversed the spin. The impact from this last strike slammed the Alraune back to the ground. After waiting a moment for the dust to settle the girls saw the monster never got up. The Alraune then dissipated into a cloud of pixels before disappearing entirely. The CPUs had won.

Content with her victory, Noire proudly ran her hand through her hair before putting her weapon away. Uni was about to do the same, but something got her attention. It was that bush from before again. She could swear she saw it move. Uni watched the bush intensely while Noire wondered what it was that Uni was looking at. The CPU Candidate raised her rifle and took aim. She focused her sights onto the bush before seeing a glimmer of something within it. She then fired a single bullet. The bullet flew through the side of the bush. It must have just been the wind or...

At that moment another monster jumped out of the bush. It was just a simple Dogoo. Hardly dangerous. That is until the girls noticed something about it. One side of the Dogoo's head...body...whatever appropriate, appeared cybernetic. In the place of one eye appeared to be some kind of camera lens. There was only one way such an ordinary monster could have something like that on it.

"A Broken! Here, of all places!?" Noire exclaimed. She quickly took a stance to defend herself. One thing she understood about Broken is that they were generally defensive, if not territorial. However once someone made any kind of contact with them they became very aggressive. Uni followed Noire's lead and prepared for another shot in the coming fight. ...Or rather for the fight they thought was coming. But it never happened. Rather than attempt to defend itself the Dogoo ran, or rather hopped, away in total fright. That was a first.

"It's... running away?" Uni asked. "That's weird... Since when do Broken run?"

"Either way, it's probably for the best. I'd rather not fight another one of those anytime soon after the other day."

"Yeah. I'd second that. Still... I can't shake this bad feeling for some reason."

"Heeeyyy!" The girls turned toward the voice they heard. It was Zenotyne returning from his 'business'. The two put their weapons away as he approached. "Sorry to keep you waiting. How'd the fight go?"

"It went fine," Noire answered. "It was hardly a challenge. But we did find a Broken out here."

"What!? Where!?" The boy frantically started looking around to locate it himself.

"That's the strange part," Uni started. "It just...ran off. We've never seen that before."

"I kind of want to follow it, but I think it might be better to just leave it alone," said Noire.

"Really?" Zeno asked? "That is weird. Maybe it's for the better, though. Also, check it out!" Zeno reached into his pocket and revealed he had found two more of the items they needed for the collection quest. "I found them on the way back here. That's one quest dowwaahhh!" The boy had approached closer to show the girls, but his foot got caught on a stray root sticking out of the ground. The boy lost his balance and tossed the items into the air as he toppled over... onto Noire. Uni quickly used her reflexes to catch the items as they came down before returning her gaze to the embarrassing scene below. Zeno slowly opened his eyes and flushed red quickly. The boy's face was mere inches away from the white cloth between the CPU's legs. Filled with terror, the boys slowly looked up to see the girl in question glaring at him. Bot her face and expression were filled with embarrassment and rage. "...I...I...I..." The boy was attempting to apologize, but he was so scared he couldn't manage to squeeze out the words.

"Y...You... You PERVEERRRRTT!" After that the sound of the girl's hand clashing with the boy's face could be heard echoing throughout the valley.

* * *

Elsewhere in Gamindustri, there was a dimly lit room with some kind of chair. The room was quite spacious. What little lighting there was revealed its design was mostly of a great number of cubes of various different sizes that together formed the floor and walls. It looked rather basic yet the atmosphere of the room gave off a certain ominous feel. The only thing of any intricate design was the chair. It was large and closely resembled something of high class. It was similar to a throne but not quite. There was even a small side table next to the chair.

There was a single person sitting in the chair. In their left hand, they held an expensive looking glass with some kind of drink in it, while their other rested calmly on the arm of the chair. The only light in the room was from a number of holographic video displays in front of them, yet this light did not reveal their face as their garb came with a hood they saw fit to use and hide their face. The images from the displays in front of them were of various different places. Most were of forests, ruins, or dungeons of some kind. A few showed nothing in particular but most seemed to be keeping track of monsters that were clearly Broken.

The person raised the glass they held to their shadowed face and took a sip before returning to his lounging state. It was at that moment a sound could be heard. Something was approaching. And by the sound, it was something gelatinous. Before long the being came into the light and stopped a ways in front of the person, revealing itself to be the strange Dogoo that had run from Uni earlier.

"Ahh. It's one of you," the person said as they set their glass onto the nearby table. The tone of their voice showed they were fairly young and male, but no more than that. "And what have you to report to me today, I wonder?" As if to answer his inquiry, the Dogoo looked upward slightly as a light began to shine from its lensed eye. Soon the light formed a 3D holographic image of Uni and Noire fighting some monsters. "What!?" The man quickly rose from his seat as he watched the footage the Dogoo had recorded. "Now the sisters of Lastation are free as well? How!?"

"It would seem your plan isn't going as you had hoped." The man turned toward the voice. On the far end of the room was the silhouette of a woman. She made no effort reveal herself, not that there was any need. The two clearly knew one another. "This could pose quite the problem if it is allowed to continue."

"Agreed," the man replied. He turned back toward the Dogoo's projection and held his hands behind his back. "When I learned of the Planeptune sisters' return I was willing to chalk it up to mere coincidence. However, now that those two are free as well, things have changed. Clearly, someone has discovered a means to combat the monsters and release the CPUs."

"I told you." Another voice was heard. Like the one before, this person was hidden in darkness on another side of the room. Only their silhouette could be made out. "I told you, didn't I? That just leaving them be could come back to bite us. We should have just finished them off when we had the chance!"

"I believe I told you before," the man started. "In order to accomplish our goal, we must lower the world's resistance to our works. To allow that meant lowering the CPUs Shares which held the most effect by keeping them captive. Were we to eliminate them others would rise in their place and delay the process."

"And yet now half of them roam free." A third voice had made itself known. They had followed the pattern of the other two on a raised platform. "Your plan has worked well to this point, but if this continues all we have done could well be undone. Planeptune has even been steadily recovering from what I hear. Certainly, Lastation won't be far behind. Perhaps we should take a more hands-on approach?"

"No." The man turned back toward the three silhouetted women. "It is still too soon. You know as well as I that your powers are still recovering. Even in their weakened state, a battle with them would not be favorable. More time is required for your involvement." The man glanced over his shoulder toward the various displays he observed before. "However it's obvious we cannot allow the situation to stand." The man faced the three once more. "Send some of the surrounding monsters to the holding locations of the others."

"Bolstering the security, I see," said the first woman. "But are you sure that's wise? More monsters may indeed prevent them from being released, but surely the relocation of so many at once will not go unnoticed. Should their power somehow prove insufficient we will only have succeeded in showing our enemies where to find the rest of them."

"That is a risk we will have to take. Should the worst happen we will have to think of an alternative. Now go."

"Very well. It shall be done." With those words, the third of the women vanished into the darkness.

"This one had better work." After saying her piece the second disappeared as well.

"Hrm hm hmm... I look forward to seeing where this course shall lead us." Finally, the one who appeared first followed the pattern the other two had set. Once all three were gone the man turned back toward the Dogoo who had just finished its projection.

"Return to your duties. Keep me apprised of further developments." The Dogoo made a small jump in understanding before hopping away. Once alone again, the man slowly sat back down as his gaze became fixed on the displays once more. "...Try as they may, I will not be stopped. I will have..." The man then leaned forward, resting his elbows on the arms of his chair as he entwined his hands at mouth level. "...my perfect world."

* * *

 **Whew! Sorry it took so long to get this out people. I wanna say I was held up with real life stuff but that would be a lie. I just pulled another Neptune really. Really gotta fix that about myself... Anyway, I've got a couple pieces of good news for you guys this time around.**

 **First and foremost, I have finally finished my True Ending run of Neptunia VII. After witnessing those events and some brainstorming I can now confirm that the story can now be considered post-VII! That means more characters and more madness, YAAAAYYYY! However, that's going to be a while yet. But hey, that gives everyone a little something extra to look forward to, right? I'll get there eventually. Until then, I ask that everyone please be patient.**

 **Second, and this is just a bonus, I've decided to try my hand at a little side project. "What is this side project?" you ask? I'm making a game! Well, sort of. Here's the rundown: I went and got my hands on a little program called RPG Maker MV. And before anyone starts making any assumptions or calls foul, I PAID for this on Steam so I am fully within my rights to publish any works I make with this program. As for what I'm making, it's pretty much this very story in game form! That said...**

 **TO IDEA FACTORY, COMPILE HEART, AND ALL OTHER AFFILIATES:**

 **THIS PRODUCT IS TO BE COMPLETELY NON-PROFIT. THIS GAME WILL BE COMPLETELY FREE THROUGHOUT IT'S DEVELOPMENT AND RELEASE.**

 **THERE WILL BE NO OFFICIAL ARTWORK OR MUSIC FROM THE GAMES OR ANIME IN THIS GAME.**

 **ALL CHARACTERS AND OTHER ELEMENTS WITHIN WILL BE CREDITED THEIR PROPER PRODUCERS.**

 **I APOLOGISE IN ADVANCE FOR ANY BREACH IN TERMS OF USE OR COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT DURING THIS GAME'S PRODUCTION.**

 **Now that that's out of the way let me set the record straight with this little project. The actual story will take precedence over this game. As fun as I'm sure making the game will be, there's a reason I'm calling it a side project. I'll only be working on it when I have writer's block or something. Sometimes you just need creative stimulation of a different sort, you know? I've only just started working on custom portraits and sprites for this so don't ask for a demo or anything yet. There's nothing set up yet. This side project is also a personal project. As in it's just me working on this. I have no collaborators or connections as well as have little knowledge to how the RPG Maker MV program works as a whole, so production is likely going to be slow. BUT, I'm sure I'll figure it out bit by bit.**

 **So there you go. I'll keep you guys updated on the game in future chapters. That is assuming it's not immediately shut down or something, but let's hope it doesn't come to that. If you guys have any thoughts or suggestions for the game or story itself feel free to let me know in the reviews or a message. In the meantime, I've gotta work on the storyboard for this little fanfiction now that I'm including VII events.**

 **Until then, I'll see you all later. Zeno out!**


	18. Chapter 18: Rivalry

**Pre-chapter Notes**

 **Happy holidays everyone! Merry Christmas, or whatever you may or may not celebrate, and happy New Year. I apologize this took so long to get out there. Had a number of distractions, namely a LOT of new games I like coming out one after another, as well as preparations for the holidays and my job, but most of that is behind me now so I can start putting some time back into my writing. I'll try to get the next chapter out in a much shorter timeframe. Now before we get started on the actual chapter, it's time I did something I should have started a LOOONG time ago: review replies! I'm gonna be starting from the beginning so I apologize if this feels a little lengthy.**

 **First off, to save room and time, I thank all of you who expressed interest, encouragement, and support for this story. It's people like you that help to keep me motivated to keep this going, distractions not withstanding.**

 **Saint of vice** **koncor** **  
Believe it or not, I can't actually say I'm too familiar with the whole "notice me, senpai" thing outside the typical yandere association. But I can say that Ayame if far from that. She's closer to the typical childhood friend dandere, minus the crushing shyness outside of embarrassing situations. Will she appear again in some form now that Zeno's in Gamindustri? Maybe. Maybe not. Only time will tell.  
Also, I truthfully hadn't realized the similarities between My Broken and .hack's Data Bugs until you mentioned it. I even played that series! Still fitting in my opinion.**

 **The Mysterious Mr DxD  
Yeah, I'll admit the fade into a bright screen thing was pretty cliche, but it was the best I could come up with. But when you stop to think on how The Neptunia series is a collection of games that kind of event is actually pretty fitting. As for the harem concern, my plan is for him to have what I consider a 'soft' harem. Yeah, he'll be good friends with all of the girls, but there won't be actual romance. Not that I wouldn't like it. I just want everyone to be as close to their canon depictions as I can with this story and I feel an actual romance between Zeno and the girls can break that. Not sure it that makes you feel more comfortable or not, but that's the plan.**

 **You never** **knows  
** **Fixing that right now.**

 **CFW** **gamereaper** **  
Nah, Kainen/Zenotyne's name is just that: a name. There's no reference. And you're not the first to notice the .hack similarities.**

 **F14M3RZ  
I honestly was not aware of that about Uni's voice actor until you mentioned it. I myself am a fan of the things Team Four Star comes up with, but my interests lie mainly with just the shows themselves. Outside the main cast of TFS I don't look in depth, preferring to just enjoy their productions.  
As for the villain I revealed, you're actually pretty on point. The details surrounding him and his plans will be revealed in time, look forward to that.**

 **Bropower125** **  
** **Page 137 was just a random number that came to my head to make the situation believable and relatable. I kind of feel like I missed an opportunity now, but then again I don't care much for leet speak so... meh.  
** **Extensive or serious injuries lessen or limit the effect of healing spells or items... is what I want to say, but honestly, I forgot about that aspect. Maybe I can work it in in a future chapter.  
While the expiration date argument is valid, I have two counter-arguments to that. One: Neptune was gone for at least three months before Zeno rescued her; more than enough time for whatever was left behind to go bad. And Two: this is NEPTUNE we're talking about here. You can't say it would be out of the realm of possibility. But mostly the whole thing was a callback to a scene from the first game, minus Nisa flying kicking someone in the face lol.**

* * *

 **Disclaimer**

 **Hypderdimension Neptunia is owned by Idea Factory, Compile Heart, and all other official parties.**

 **I own nothing.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**

 **RIVALRY**

It had been a few days since Zenotyne's 'incident' with Noire. The raven-haired girl was still angry with him about it, too. She even nearly threw him out of the Basilicom. Thankfully Uni managed to talk her out of it, though she still refused to talk with him. Sadly, one of the biggest problems with tsunderes is that they know how to hold a grudge.

Zeno was walking to the Guild to take on some more quests. He would have to take them on solo, however. Noire left earlier for her own Quest and Uni went with her to try to calm her down a little more. As he entered the building he was greeted with the common sight of people applying for requests or adventurers taking on jobs. He could swear he was seeing more people. But the real question was: which job would he take this time?

"Well well, look who showed up." Zeno turned his head to the voice he heard and was met with a familiar face.

"Axel!" The two boys approached each other and gave one another a fist bump for a greeting. "I wasn't expecting to see you here. You planning to take on a Quest?"

"One or two. You know, just get the bills paid and stuff." Axel's expression then changed to a quizzical one. "Hey, you okay? You face is looking kind of red on one side."

"Wha-STILL? I figured it would be gone by now," Zeno said as he brought up a hand to rub his cheek.

"What happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it..." he responded while he hung his head as he recalled the event in question. Axel just shrugged his shoulders.

"Fair enough. You won't see me prying. So what brought you here? Looking for some jobs yourself?" The change of topic allowed Zeno to bring his head back up.

"Yeah. But there are more people here than I was expecting. Is something going on?"

"Sort of. I don't know the details, but from what I hear someone found a way to take on the Broken and has been knocking them out. The news has been getting peoples' spirits up so adventurers are taking on more jobs again. Means things are a bit more competitive again, but at least we'll also see some movement on the Ranking Board again."

"Ranking Board?" Zeno repeated, tilting his head slightly.

"Over here," Axel responded. He started walking away while motioning for Zenotyne to follow him. The two soon found themselves in front of a large screen covering much of a portion of the wall. On it was a large list of names with numbers next to them all. "This is the Ranking Board. The other Guild branches have them, too, but Lastation is a little on the competitive side so you might see more people checking it out than in other nations."

"So that's what this is? I saw it in the one in Planeptune but I forgot to ask my friends what it was. So how does this ranking work?"

"Okay, so it works like this... You know all Quests are ranked base on type and difficulty, right?" Zeno gave an affirmative nod. "Well, when quests are completed the Guild awards the person or persons responsible with some points. The higher the Quest rank, the more points they get. At the end of every week, everyone who's points are past certain levels get ranking rewards from the Guild. It's usually just some extra Credits or an item or two, but it's meant to encourage everyone to work harder." Zeno nodded as he took in this information. It all certainly made sense. "And at the end of every month, the top 25 are given individual rewards based on their ranking. The rankings also reset every month so that the same people aren't at the top all the time. Helps to keep it fair."

"So... how high are you on this?"

"I'm not that high," Axel responded as he shrugged his shoulders in disinterest. "I'm all for friendly competition, but I don't really care for it. I just prefer to live my life day to day so I hardly ever take on anything that's really dangerous for me or anything. Rough guess, I'd say I'm somewhere around 100 or so."

"Wow, 100? Sounds like you're pretty up there, then."

"Not really. With all the Broken showing up a lot of people just plain quit. Less people to contend with. But now with this talk of those things being put down going around I'm sure some of them are going to be coming back. Back before all this, I was lucky to be in the top 500 for the Local Ranking. And don't even get me started on the International."

"Well then, we better get to it before all the good ones are taken then." With those words, Zeno took off to the Request Board to see what was available.

"Geez... I get he's from Planeptune, but he acts like a kid," Axel said as he shrugged again before lazily following his friend. They browsed the list of Quests individually from one another. There were a number of empty spots on the E Rank section with signs that fliers used to be there. Other adventurers must have gotten to them earlier. A few D Rank Quests were taken as well, and one brave soul even took a C Rank. Nobody was bothering with the upper ranked Quests, though. Not that they could be blamed.

Zeno looked through the Quest postings for a while before finally finding one that seemed like one he could handle on his own. It was a D Rank collection Quest, however, the items in question were monster drops. The pay was pretty decent, and it also meant he could do a little grinding to get stronger. The boy reached up to the posting but just as he grabbed it another hand had grabbed the other side of the paper. His eyes followed down the other band's arm and was brought face to face with his friend. Well, this was awkward.

"Uhhh" Zeno began, "...Maybe we could take this one together? It would make it easier on us both."

Axle appeared to mull the thought over a little before shaking his head. "Pass. I can handle this myself. I work better alone anyway. Besides I need every Credit I can get my hands on right now. I doubt a newbie like you could keep up anyway." Newbie? Unintentional or not, now Zeno felt insulted.

"Hey, I'm tough enough to handle this. And you're not the only one who needs some extra cash. You're more familiar with the area, right? I'm sure you can find another Quest a 'pro' like you can handle." As he spoke Zeno made sure to emphasize the word 'pro' to show how he didn't like how Axel talked down to him.

"Yeah, I am. Which is why I know there aren't any other jobs that pay what I need but aren't too hard. Maybe you shou..." Axel stopped himself as he looked into Zeno's eyes. He saw something that he knew would complicate his situation. "...You're not going to back down from this, are you?"

"That much should be obvious." Well, this was becoming problematic. Just yesterday the two were off to a great friendship, but now it looks like this little bit of competition was threatening to tear it apart. Axel closed his eyes as he let out a heavy sigh. One of them needed to think of something before this could turn ugly. Just then a thought occurred to the auburn-haired boy.

"All right, then how about this..." Zeno raised an eyebrow as Axel led on. "How bout we both take the job, but separately instead of together. We'll make it something of a race. First one to get everything gets the reward..." A grin then crept onto Axel's face. "...And the loser admits the winner is the better adventurer. Deal?" So... the Quest has turned into a competition between the two where the winner gets the money AND bragging rights? There was only one way Zenotyne could respond.

"Challenge accepted."

* * *

About an hour later Zeno and Axel had arrived at their target location. It looked to be an old abandoned storage facility of some kind. Despite its age, the facility seemed to be holding up fairly well. Sure, there was some growth around and much of the metal lying around had begun to rust but the building didn't seem like it was in danger of falling apart or anything. The only real concern was the signs of monsters.

"I'm starting to find it hard to believe there could be anything of value here," Zeno said as he walked beside his friend/rival. "Remind me, what exactly are we looking for again?"

"Just like a newbie to not pay attention to the goal of the job he takes..." Ouch. Zeno had to admit, he did kind of set himself up for that. "We're looking for a type of microchip that only certain monsters in this area sometimes drop."

"Microchips?" Zeno asked with a raised brow. "I caught this Quest was from a computer company, so can't they just make what they need?"

"Yes, and no. They can make them, but the materials are expensive. That or they're too short on time. Either way, they're going with the easy way out by asking the Guild, and by extension: us, to get the already complete product." Made sense. Except for thing.

"But, even if it's abandoned, doesn't this warehouse and everything in it belong to a different company? Isn't that corporate theft or something?"

"Nah, it's fine," the auburn-haired boy responded with a dismissal wave. "The company originally in charge of this place went under a long time ago after they tried something they weren't supposed to and it didn't work. I was a little kid at the time so I don't know what really happened. Point is: Everything in here is free game so long as it goes through the proper channels. That includes the Guild."

"Okay..." Zeno still didn't feel right about taking something someone made so someone else could use to their advantage, but if Lastation officials had already settled the matter then who was he to argue? "So, any idea what to expect here?"

"I've been here a couple of time before on lesser Quests. The most common here are Heal Dogoos, Pixelvaders, and Bits. Our targets are the R-4 mechs. There's also some Heavy Tanks in here, too, but I suggest you stay away from those. Unless, you know, you like being a smoldering crater." Ugh... Tough Foe-type enemies. Yeah, best to steer clear of those. But their primary targets were machine-types. That meant they were dealing with enemies with high physical defense. Outside bosses, these enemies had almost no magical defense, but Zeno didn't have any magical attacks. It seemed like he was going to have to do this the old fashioned way.

Unfortunately for Zenotyne, the boys' discussion had more of his attention than where they were walking. He, like a total noob, walked into a metal drum. This caused the boy to stumble, looking like he was doing some weird dance as he hopped around on one leg trying to keep himself from falling as the drum itself tipped over while Axel laughed a little. After the 'show', Axel started to walk on ahead while Zeno righted the drum back in place. Thankfully, the drum was empty so there was no mess or weight to deal with. What did catch they boy's attention was what was **on** the drum. It was partially worn, there was one still legible word on it.

"Avenir...?!" This place was owned by Avenir? But wasn't the events of the first game retconned or ignored or something? Sure, Neptune occasionally made references, but she's always breaking the fourth wall so she's a special case. So then how was this here? These and other questions like it were roaming around in his head but were ultimately put to the side when Axel called for Zeno to hurry up. The mystery of Avenir's involvement would have to be addressed another time.

"Okay," Axel started once Zeno had caught up. "From here on is where the monsters will start showing up. He's how this is gonna work: the warehouse is split into three sections; all of which are nearly identical and connected at points. You take the left side and I'll take the right. We stay in our areas. The center is the'free area'. We both can go in there if we find a target in there, but not to the other side. Just be aware, the center area is where the Heavy Tanks are. They're not aggressive, thankfully, but don't push your luck and get close if you can help it. First one to collect five chips is the winner. Deal?"

"Yeah, that sounds fair," Zeno nodded in agreement. "But how do we let each other know once one of us has them?"

"Uhh... Good question." It seemed like that was the one detail of this little contest Axel hadn't worked out yet. He started looking around for something that might give him an idea. "Uhmm... Ah! Here we go." Axel grabbed an old metal rod on the ground and walked over to another nearby empty drum. He then proceeded to hit the drum a few times with the rod. Axel took a moment to listen to the loud sound he made bounce around the warehouse before looking pleased. "Yeah, this'll do. First one to get all five runs back here and starts banging on this. We should be able to hear it from just about anywhere in here."

With Zeno agreeing with the rules Axel put down, the two took their positions. With the both of them ready to break into a full sprint, Zeno could practically see a race countdown happen. Axel was the one counting down and took full advantage of that by suddenly speeding up the count near the end and getting a small lead. Zeno didn't like the cheap trick but decided to just ignore it since it would just make him look more like a 'noob'. And so, their race had begun.

* * *

The contest was almost over. Zenotyne had his 5 microchips and was rushing back to their agreed 'gong'. It wasn't easy getting them all. Because the items in question were monster drops getting them at all was a game of chance. Between that and R-4's high defense made the process rather lengthy. It had already been a whole hour since they started, but Axel must have been having similar luck since he hadn't sounded the 'bell' yet. It was also good timing for Zeno to get them all. He was almost out of healing items, and it certainly didn't help when Axel stole a kill in the 'free area' and a chip with it. Zeno got him back not too long afterward, but it was still annoying all the same.

However, Zeno still had one last challenge to overcome. Just as he was leaving his side of the warehouse Axel was doing the same, putting the two seemingly in unison. The race had turned from one of skill and luck to an actual one. First one to sound the 'gong' would be the winner. In this matter, Zeno had the advantage. The rod and drum were closer to his side than his competitor's so he might win if he kept up his speed. But Axel had realized this issue and started to really push his legwork. This race was going to be very close.

" **There** you are!" called out a voice. This caught both of the boys' attention as they slowed down to find the source. It was there Zeno saw an unexpected sight: Noire and Uni themselves. Noire looked like she was still a little angry at him, but then why was she here? She sounded like she was looking for him for some reason. "Finally. Do you always have to make things so difficult?"

"Noire? And Uni? Why are you two here?" Zeno asked the girls. Axel, surprised to see Noire, called her by her title 'Lady Black Heart' as he made a deep bow toward her.

"We came for you. Kei said she wanted to speak with you." As she spoke the girls walked to close the gap between them. Uni must have been a little successful at least if Noire was openly willing to talk to him again.

"Kei does? But she has my cell number. Why didn't she just call?"

"She thought it would be best to tell you in person. It must be important if she hasn't even told me about it." As the two conversed, Axel was showing obvious signs of bewilderment. Noire, or Lady Black Heart in his eyes, was a CPU; a goddess, and yet Zeno was on casual speaking terms with her. The Auburn-haired boy wasn't sure to make of what he was witnessing.

"Oh. Well, I'm just about done with a Quest here. I'll drop by the Basilicom just as soon as I-"

"That's the other reason we're here," Uni interrupted. "You guys are here to get items from monsters here, right?" Both the boys quizzically nodded, not liking where this may be heading. "Well... The thing of it is..."

"We already finished it," Noire finished for her sister, with both boys' eyes growing wide with the revelation. "We already did the one you're on now earlier today. We heard you took on this Quest when we claimed the reward so we decided to track you down."

"So then..." Axel started in weak desperation. "...there's no reward for all our hard work?"

"The Quest wasn't fulfilled when you guys took it, so the Guild will give you a consolation reward. It won't be as big as the original, but at least you'll get something out of it." Well, that was a spirit breaker. Axel collapsed to his knees while Zeno hung his head in defeat. If the someone else had already taken the job why was a flier for it up? Did the Guild put up another one for more potential takers? Not that any of that mattered at this point.

After a few moments, Zeno started to let out a chuckle a little. He then walked over to Axel and offered a hand with a weak smile. "I guess we'll just have to find out who the 'newbie' is another time, huh?" Axel let out his own chuckle in agreement as he let his friend help him back up. With the stakes no longer valid, their outlook to one another had become much less confrontational and the rivalry vanished. Zeno turned back toward the girls. "We better finish what we started. I'll see you two back at the Basilicom."

"Should we go with them, Noire?" Uni asked.

"We might as well," Noire responded. "B-but only because it's our fault they're in their position. It's not like I enjoy having other people around or anything." Zeno couldn't help but smile at that last line. She might still be a little upset, but it was nice to see she was back in her normal tsundere demeanor. The four of them then started making their way to the exit, with Axel quietly asking how Zeno knew Noire so well. Oh boy, explaining that without revealing too much was going to be difficult. Hopefully, Axel would buy it.

* * *

 **Man, I really need to put forth more time to get these out in a more timely fashion. I'll figure something out. All I ask for is some patience.**

 **Now for the game update:  
Much like the story itself, I haven't put anywhere near as much time toward it as I should have. I'm just about done with all the custom portraits for Neptune, but there's still a lot to get done to consider her complete. And she's just one character. Long road to travel...**

 **In the meantime, I'll see you all next update!**

 **Zeno out!**


	19. Chapter 19: Fields of Cold Fluff

**Pre-chapter notes**

 **Hey, everyone! Didn't quite get this out as soon as I initially wanted, but sometimes that's life for ya. Regardless, let's get on to the reviews!**

 **F14M3RZ  
** **I assure you, Angron and I are not the same person. But we have been friends since our high school days so it's not too much of a surprise, at least to me, that our writing would have some similarities. One key difference between us though is that I try to keep a steady balance of intrigue, seriousness, and so on. Angron, on the other hand, loves to make comedic situations. Making people crack a smile seem to be his idea of a good time. Often times the scenarios he comes up with can seem a little over the top, but I've always felt that just makes them all the funnier considering the Neptunia series' wackiness to begin with. As for the connection with the first game; that will be revealed in time. It's still gonna be a few chapters before then, but I do have a plan for that.**

 **TehDIGI  
** **Nah, Axel's just a cameo I decided to make since we were both writing Neptunia stories. He'll only show up when our heroes are in Lastation. And even then it won't be all the time.**

* * *

 **Disclaimer**

 **Hyperdimension Neptunia is owned by Idea Factory, Compile Heart, and all other official parties.**

 **I own nothing.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER NINETEEN**

 **FIELDS OF COLD FLUFF**

White. Trees, the ground; everything around was covered in a blanket of white. A cold breeze blows by and dusts up the top layers of white in its path. Everything was still. The whole of the scenery had an ambiance of serenity. All was quiet and peaceful...

"GUUAAAAAHHHH!"

...That is until the screams of monsters rang out. Small monsters could be seen running, hopping, sloshing, whatever made them mobile to get away from what was threatening them. Back where they were running from larger monsters were getting the snot beat out of fact, most had already been dealt with. Only one remained and it was square in its aggressors' crosshairs. For a moment it even thought about following the smaller monsters' lead and fleeing as well. However, that thought came too late as one was already on the offensive. After a series of strikes with their weapon, the attacker launched them into the air with a somersault kick. Once airborne a number of loud bangs rang out and the monster was hit numerously at high speed as objects the size of flies flew and impacted it. Finally, a figure had jumped into the air, well higher than the monster itself, and as it came back down cleaved the monster in half. Soundly defeated, the monster burst into a cloud of pixels while still airborne as the one that delivered the final blow came back down to the land of white.

The figure stood back up, garbed in gray, and swung their arm to the side. In it held an angular one-handed sword designed similar to a rapier before it disappeared in a flash of light. The figure in gray was a boy in his teens and stood there silently fo a moment as the wind blew by. All was quiet aga- "AAAHH-CHOO!" Scratch that. After letting out that large sneeze the boy began holding his arms shivering as a large drop of mucus began to hang from his nose. "Damn it... I know this is the northern part of the world but why does it have to be so freaking cold?"

"Don't go trying to play the victim now, Zeno," a voice called out. The boy, Zeno, turned back behind him to two other figures walking up to him. "We warned you what it would be like here, but you were the one who insisted we hurry. It's your own fault for not taking the time to prepare." The one speaking was Noire, the older sister of the two Lastation sisters. As she spoke she put away her own weapon while her sister continued to hold her's at the ready. She no doubt still had her usual outfit on but it was covered by a black leather trenchcoat. It wasn't terribly thick to prevent movement restriction but it was enough to keep the wearer warm. The bottom of the front was unzipped from her thighs down and had long sleeves. She also wore black gloves and heeled boots. It just goes to show, no matter what environment she's in Noire likes to keep a certain sense of style.

"Well yeah, but... I didn't think it would be this bad! C'mon, Uni, help me out here."

"Nope," the younger sister responded sternly. "You're one your own for this one. We tried to warn you and you wouldn't listen. Now you have to pay the price for that." Uni was dressed in winter clothes as well, but hers were centered more on functionality that style. She wore a long woolen coat colored black, naturally, with white fluffy trimmings and even a hood. She also wore black winter shoes and gloves to help keep her warm. Clearly, the sisters were hardly cold at all with their clothing where their male companion was just in his normal outfit.

"Great... Thanks for that..." The boy said as he hung his head in defeat. He couldn't really argue with them. Every word of it was true. Hopefully, the main city wouldn't be too far. He couldn't wait to get somewhere warm again. Of course, he did still have other worries. He probably would have held off come here a little longer if not for what he had heard from Kei.

* * *

 _Earlier in Lastation's Basilicom..._

Zenotyne, following Noire and Uni, had just entered Kei's office. It was still as neat and tidy as ever, not that that couldn't have been predicted. As expected, Kei was sorting through some documents. Zeno tried to sneak a curious peak to what it all was, but the fine print on it all was too small to make out. He'd have to get closer to get a good look, but then it would be obvious he was sticking his nose where it didn't belong. He probably wouldn't understand half of it anyway. Better to just let it go.

"Ah, Zeno. Good of you to come," Kei began. "Lady Noire, Lady Uni, thank you for bringing him. If you will all please have a seat, I will brief you on the situation." Situation? That's not a good topic to start a conversation with. As Kei spoke she motioned to the sofa against the side wall of her office. The three sat themselves down with Noire sitting in the middle and the other two on the sides. Zeno kind of wanted to be in the middle himself since he was the one Kei wanted to speak to, but he decided to keep quiet and let Noire indulge in her tsundere desire to be the center of attention.

"What did you want to talk to me about, Kei? You could have just called me on my cell phone you know," Zeno asked.

"I'd like to know as well. If there's some kind of trouble going on Uni and I can handle it by ourselves." Ouch...that hurt, Noire.

"Unless it's a Broken, that is..." Uni dejectedly added. But just then her eyes grew wide as realization dawns on her. "Wait. Is that it? Is there another one causing havoc, Kei?"

"Settle down, everyone. I'll tell you all I can," Kei responded. She stepped out of her desk chair stood in front of the three after grabbing a couple of papers she had set to the side. "As for your question, Lady Uni, the answer is both yes and no." Yes AND no? That doesn't make any sense. "This matter does involve the Broken, but it doesn't appear to involve Lastation for the time being."

"Wait...'Doesn't involve Lastation'? I'm sorry, could you elaborate? I'm confused," Zeno inquired.

"Some reports have been coming in lately about Broken movement. Our soldiers have been instructed to observe, but to not engage unless necessary."

"Oh. I remember reading those," said Noire. Not surprising considering her hard working nature. The girl practically wants to personally oversee every major operation in her nation. A little control-freaky for Zeno's tastes, but nobody's perfect. "But don't those come from our borders with Lowee? I know we all agreed that dealing with the Broken would be a joint effort, and I know this will sound really selfish, but why should we be keeping track of them in another nation?" So this concerns Lowee? As much as the boy hated to admit it, Noire did bring up a fair point.

"It's not all of them," Kei answered. "Only the known ones near our borders. Originally, my thoughts were along the same lines as your own, Lady Noire, but then I noticed something." Uh-oh... That's almost always a build-up for something bad. "After reviewing the reports I noticed they all showed the Broken in question were heading in roughly the same direction. I then took the liberty of contacting Lowee's Oracle to inquire about other similar movements within their nation. I apologize for not consulting you about this beforehand, Lady Noire."

"It's fine. So what did you find out?"

"It was more than I had initially suspected. It has been several months since the Broken first appeared, so I had hoped they simply had developed migratory habits. However, after correlating Lowee's reports with our own we discovered they were, in fact, converging in a singular location."

"Wait... The Broken are gathering together? They actually do that?" Uni asked.

"Not before now. This is the first time this has occurred to our knowledge."

"When did these movements start, Kei?" Zeno asked. "And do you know where they're going?"

"As far as I can tell, this didn't start happening until a few days ago. Not long later Lady Noire and Lay Uni's return. I must confess, I am curious as to whether or not there is a connection, but we simply do not have enough information to draw a conclusion." After Noire and Uni? Come to think of it, there was a Broken that seemed to be guarding Neptune and Nepgear. And the one they fought in the mines supposedly came running as soon as Zeno broke them out of that strange crystal. Are the Broken more involved with the CPUs' imprisonment than everyone thought? "As for where they are heading, we do not know for certain. We have deduced they seem to be gathering in the northeastern part of Lowee, but we don't have enough information to narrow it down further."

Zeno brought a hand to his chin as he thought about this new information. He could see easily enough where this was heading. It was a smaller timeframe than when he left for Lastation after rescuing Neptune and Nepgear. It made him hope what was to come would be a simple difficulty curve instead of a spike. He hated dealing with those. Well, no sense in beating about the bush. "So, you want me to go to Lowee to handle this?"

"Put simply. Personally, I would prefer you remain here. Lastation has only recently been recovering and your help against the Broken threat has been invaluable, however, Lowee's Oracle has issued a formal request for your assistance and with the situation as it is I am inclined to agree it is needed."

"I can see why," said Uni. "Just one wandering Broken is a concern for any nation. But a whole bunch of them getting together? Who knows what kind of damage they would cause if they started attacking a city or something." That's a dismal thought.

"Those were my and Lowee's Oracle's thoughts exactly. I apologize for putting this kind of pressure on you, Zeno, but I believe it would be in everyone's best interest for you to depart for Lowee." Head for Lowee? That's not a hard request.

"Sure. I can do that. But..." But there was one issue that needed addressing. Zeno rose from his seat and started to slowly walk toward the center of the room. He was going to need to word what came next carefully. Traveling to Lowee would be difficult by himself. He could appeal to Noire's tsundere nature like before, but with the seriousness of this situation that may not work. If it came down to it he would go back to Planeptune and ask the others for help, but that would give the Broken more time to gather and prepare. He was going to need to be clever to convince them to join him. ...Aaaand he was drawing a blank. Screw it. Just be honest. Maybe they'll find that endearing. "I don't think I can handle that alone. Sure, I'm getting stronger, but I'm still figuring out the D-Loader. I might be able to handle one Broken by myself - maybe two - but there's no way I can take on a whole group without backup. Noire, Uni, I ask - no, I beg you for your help." As he pleaded Zeno made a deep bow toward the girls and remained that way. He intended to not rise until he had an answer.

Noire crossed her arms and closed her eyes as she thought on the matter. Uni watched her sister in expectation for an answer. Uni likely wanted to go in the hopes of finding Rom and Ram but Noire was the CPU. She had the final say. "So..." she began, "let me see if I understand this correctly. You want us to travel with you to unknown areas, outside our own nation, fight monsters we can't win against without you, and gain little, if anything, out of it? Honestly, why do you even bother asking?" Zenotyne still did not rise fro his bow. Strictly speaking, Noire did raise a point. Lowee wasn't her nation. She had no responsibility to it. And assuming everything went smoothly only Lowee would benefit. There was little, of any, motivation for their involvement. Uni's eyes became downcast with disappointment. Who could blame- "Of course, we'll help." Wait, what? Uni's eyes shot back up to her sister along with Zeno raising his head in surprise. Even Kei seemed somewhat taken aback by this. Noire opened her own eyes and wore a confident smile. "It may not be our nation, but it doesn't change the fact this puts a lot of people in danger. There's no telling what might happen with that many Broken in one place. Lastation has an agreement to come to the aid of any of the other nations if something like this were to ever happen. If we were to ignore it, the people would see us as liars, concerned only with ourselves. But if we manage to solve this problem it will strengthen our relations as well as make the whole world of Gamindustri that much safer. With all of this in mind, how can we possibly say 'no'? You have our support."

Zeno finally rose from his bow. Noire's answer had made him so happy he almost felt like he could start crying. He wanted to run up and give the raven-haired girl a big hug, but that would probably just make things awkward. Instead, the best he could do was just a big "Thank you!"

"I appreciate your willingness to do this, Zeno," Kei began. "And I am sure Lowee's Oracle will be happy to know they will have our support as well. I will send a message letting them know to expect you in the near future.

"Near future? Why wait, I say!" Zeno said excitedly. "I say we go right now! The sooner we get there, the better!"

"Whoa, hold on," Uni said as she rose from her seat. "We get how you feel, but it's a long trip to Lowee. We should prepare our stuff before we decide to leave."

"Uni's right," Noire added. "Even if we left right now, by the time we get there the sun will be setting. Not to mention how cold it can get. We should spend today getting ready and then leave in the morning."

"All the more reason to go right now!" the boy argued. "Those monsters aren't going to wait on us. The longer we wait the more people will be at risk of those things. I can't stand the thought of that!" Zeno was starting to become frantic. His sense of urgency was understandable, but what he was failing to realize was his urgency could well be leading him to 'jump the gun' as it were. This fact was starting to irritate Noire and she began rubbing the bridge of her nose.

"Ugh, fine." Uni looked back to her sister's reluctant acceptance of the boy's hasty acting. "It's pretty clear we can't talk you out of this. But even if YOU'RE ready to leave, Uni and I aren't. So how about this: while we get together our things, you head to the item shop get some extra supplies for us all. We'll meet at the city's northern checkpoint. Deal?'

"Deal! See you there!" Without even waiting for a response the boy took off out of the office. This arrangement worked out for him anyway. He needed to restock on healing items after his little competition with Axel. Which reminded him: he was going to need to drop by the Guild and meet up with him. They had originally planned for a rematch after Zeno's business with Kei but now that he was going to Lowee that would need to be put on hold.

"Geez, he's such a kid. I sometimes feel like I'm dealing with another Neptune with him. I guess we better start getting ready, Uni. I'll meet you outside the Basilicom." With those words, Noire left Kei's office to make her own preparations. Kei had returned to her desk and was writing up that message on her computer.

"Umm...Kei?" spoke Uni as she approached the Oracle's desk. "I'm sorry to add to your work like this, but could you also send a message out to Planeptune? I'm not sure just the three us can handle that many Broken. I was hoping to convince Nepgear and the others join us."

"I see," Kei responded. "That might be a good idea. I'll send a formal request for Planeptune's assistance and ask them to meet you in Lowee." Uni thanked Kei and then left for her own room. She didn't want to keep Noire waiting too long. Her real concern though was Zeno. Hopefully, the boy would think to get some proper winter clothes while he was out.

* * *

 _Returning to the present..._

Well, we all know how that turned out. The horizon was beginning to turn orange as the sun began to set. The way the light reflected off of all the snow was a beautiful sight, but Zenotyne was so cold he couldn't pay it any mind. The main city of Lowee could be seen in the distance but it would still take a while for the three to get there. The fact they had to trailblaze through the snow wasn't helping. Even through all the cold fluff, there normally was a trail they could follow, but with the Broken it became too dangerous to maintain it so it ended up buried in the snowfall.

Zeno had scarcely left his body positioning since the end of the last battle. He was still holding his shivering arms in desperation for warmth, kept making strong sniffling noises attempting to combat his runny nose, and to make matters worse his feet were half numb having been soaked through from the snow. The girls, on the other hand, seemed to be fine. Their faces may have had a slight flush to them from the cold air, but beyond that, they showed no sign of being cold themselves. In fact, they were chatting about something or other as they walked. The boy was really starting to hate himself for not listening to them.

"H-hey. Y-you two sure you d-don't have an extra coat or s-something?" Zeno asked.

"We already told you," Noire responded with agitation, "we warned you what the trip would be like and you didn't listen. You don't have anyone to blame for this but yourself."

"Fine. B-but do you at least have some warmer p-packs?"

"Don't need them," Uni responded this time. "Our outfits keep us warm enough that isn't needed. You had your chance to get those when we sent you to get items. Just bear with it."

"Oh, c-c-come on!" the boy said as he turned around. He still continued to walk backward to maintain their pace. "I'm f-fr-freezing here! Cut me some slack!"

"If you keep complaining like this, I'll have half a mind to turn around and leave you here," the older sister said. "All of this is on you. Deal with it. And keep an eye on where you're walking. Some of these spots are deeper than others."

"Oh, p-please. The city's not that m-much further. The chances of that happening are-" Zeno was then cut off by suddenly plummeting into a small hidden pit of snow. Before he realized it where the girls were standing as normal Zeno was now up to his shoulders in the frozen water flakes. Uni brought a hand to her mouth and tried to stifle her snickering. Noire wasn't laughing but she also made no effort to hide the smug grin on her face. Zeno could only glare back with a dirty look. "...Y-you f-forget you s-s-saw this."

* * *

 **There you have it, folks. Our heroes are now at Lowee's doorstep. What challenges lie in wait? What kind of Broken will they face? Only time will tell.**

 **Game progress update  
** **Again, not much done, sadly. I finished all the major portraits I think I'll need for Neptune. Unfortunately, it wasn't until I got to this point that I realized starting with her was a bad idea. Neptune may be one of the main characters, but, in concert with the story, she won't immediately available. I've started on Kainen/Zenotyne's portraits now. Once I finish those I'll move on to overworld and battle sprites and then move on to IF and Compa. But that's still gonna be a ways out, so I ask everyone looking forward to this remain patient.**

 **In the meantime, I need to start planning out the next chapter. I'll try to getting it out sooner than this one took.**

 **Until then, I'll catch you all later. Zeno out!**


	20. Chapter 20: It's a Trap!

**Disclaimer**

 **Hyperdimension Neptunia is owned by Idea Factory, Compile Heart, and all other official parties involved.**

 **I own nothing.**

 **Bropower125  
** **The first game didn't have much to the story nor was it very linear sadly. The remake thankfully alleviated these issues but I did kind of miss the plethora of game references and shout outs the original had.** **I'm glad you liked the last chapter. I hope you feel the same about this one.**

 **Admiral Crow  
** **The answer to your question is both yes and no. Zeno's weapon will always be a sword. However, its form and use will be determined by which form Zeno himself is in. For example, Red specializes in assault while Blue favors speed and precision. I have other forms planned but I won't spoil what they are. You'll just have to wait for their debut.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWENTY**

 **IT'S A TRAP!**

The snow had finally stopped falling, but that did nothing to help our heroes' situation. Zeno was standing just outside of the Lowee Basilicom's main doors. His head hung heavy with equal parts dread and exhaustion. On the other side of the glass doors read a sign saying 'Closed for business'. This wasn't entirely unexpected. After all, the sun had already set so most other shops around were closing as well. And the dropping temperature sure wasn't doing any favors. They had come all this way only to get blocked by some stupid business hours.

"Oh great," said Noire with venomous sarcasm behind the boy. "Who would have seen this coming? We trudge through miles of mountains and snow to get here, but then it turns out Lowee's Basilicom is closed. Really, I'm _so_ shocked."

"We warned you this might happen," Uni added. Her words didn't have her sister's sarcasm, but they were no less hurtful. "We told you to wait until tomorrow, but you just couldn't keep calm enough to realize how bad acting too soon could turn out. Now we're stuck out here in the freezing cold. Thanks a _lot_." Except for that last part.

Zeno quickly threw his fists in the air as he turned around to the girls. "Okay, fine! I admit it; I screwed up! My impatience cost us this. You can rag on me about it all you want, but can we please find some place warm to stay the night first?"

"Fine. I want out of this cold, too, you know," Noire answered after letting out a sigh. "But once we find a room somewhere you will be getting a stern lecture about the importance of listening to others' advice." That was fair. It was his fault they were in this predicament. Noire implied she was cold, but she didn't look like it. Then again, she was better dressed for it than Zeno was.

The boy soon started walking, hunched over and holding his shivering body, with the two ladies in tow. Thankfully, each Basilicom has an inn of some kind nearby for dignitaries from other nations or other such special guests' convenience. It didn't take long for him to find one and head that way. Sadly these inns were also kind of pricey, but he didn't care. He just wanted to be warm again. If he had the money, he also intended to foot the bill between the three of them. With some luck, that little gesture will calm the girls down some.

The three immediately felt relief as they walked through the front doors of the inn. It was pretty ritzy, and likely expense, but if it meant he could stay the night someplace warm it would be worth it. With the warm air revitalizing him, Zeno stepped over to the front counter. "We'd like two bedrooms, please. One for me and one for them." As he finished the boy pointed a thumb to his companions.

The concierge behind the counter was a man who seemed to be getting on in his age but showed no signs of it taking any toll on his body. He wasn't hunched over at all and his age hadn't robbed him of his height yet. In fact, the only sign of age he was just his face. It had a few wrinkles and his hair was starting to gray. He also had a bushy mustache as well as eyebrows that made it nearly impossible to tell if his eyes were even open or not. The man took a moment to look at each girl before refocusing back onto Zeno to answer, "I'm afraid that isn't possible, sir."

Suffice to say, the three looked back in confusion and surprise. They were all quiet for a moment before Uni broke the silence. "What? But why? Are we breaking some kind of dress code or something?"

"Not at all, young madam," the concierge replied. "But unfortunately, the majority of our rooms are either currently in use or on reserve for others. As for what remains, I am afraid it is company policy to only allow guests to check in during certain hours, and that time has already passed."

"But...but you can't be serious!" Noire started. The then put on the best pouty face she could as she shuffled in front of Zeno. "Can't you at least take us in? Surely you wouldn't let two young girls like us freeze outside?" Uni caught on to what Noire was doing tried her best equivalent face. Zeno was a little miffed she was leaving him out of her little begging routine, but he did kind of earn it.

"I truly am sorry, young miss, but there can be no exceptions." Not even their feminine charms worked? If a couple of cute faces wouldn't do the job then maybe something else might. Zeno hated to do things like this, but dammit he wanted - no, NEEDED - a warm room and a soft bed!

"Fine, then how about this?" As the boy moved back to the front he took out his wallet and practically slammed it on the counter. "Whatever your rates are, I'll pay double! We really need a room for the night, man. We can even be gone by a specific time if you need us to."

"Sir, I understand how your feel, but, please, try to see this from where I stand." The concierge then motioned an arm to a spot on the ceiling. The three followed where he was pointing and saw a security camera looking right at all of them. "This establishment has a sterling reputation to uphold and is not afraid to take action against those who would sully it. If I was to take such a 'kickback', if you will, I would almost certainly lose my position. The matter is simply out of my hands." The three looked back at the man with some shock at the realization the situation was beyond their control. "If you have nothing else to discuss, I'm afraid I must ask you to leave now." And so the three returned to the cold outdoors with their heads hung low in defeat. None more so than Zenotyne who now felt like a bully trying to pressure the man the way he did.

"Ugh..." Noire scoffed as she crossed her arms. "I'm beginning to remember why I don't like coming here when I don't have to."

"Well, now what?" Uni asked. "We can't stay out in the cold, but we obviously can't stay here either."

"...Grrraahh! Who needs that old codger?!" Zeno cried out. His outburst caught the girls off guard a little as he rose an angry face skyward. "We don't need some fancy place like this! There are plenty of inns in this city! And I bet they're cheaper, too! C'mon, girls. Let's find somewhere else we can stay." The boy started to storm off, grumbling all the while. Left with little alternative, the girls followed behind. They made sure to keep a small distance between them and him however lest they risk letting his ire turn towards them. So they were turned down at this place. Big whoop. Zeno was sure he'd find what he was looking eventually. He would not be denied!

* * *

About and hour and a half later, our heroes were still stuck in the cold. They had found multiple other inns, but they were all either outside of check-in hours or full up. One place had half the building sealed off for renovation and another was so run down they unanimously agreed to find somewhere else. Unfortunately, their search had led them around in a big circle to a small park not far from the Basilicom. Zenotyne was shivering under a light post while Noire and Uni were huddled next to each other on a nearby bench for warmth.

"T-this...i-is...s-so...m-much...c-crap..." the boy whined. The temperature had continued to drop and now the snow had started falling again. Things were not looking good.

"T-this is all y-your fault, you know," Uni said as she pressed toward her sister.

"You said you would find us a place to stay tonight," Noire threw at Zeno. She was trying to be strong for Uni and not let her teeth chatter, but she wasn't above looking to her sibling to help keep warm. "Well, where is it? I swear, if we have to sleep in a cardboard box in an alley or something-"

"I get it, I get it!" Zeno said cutting the tsundere off. "J-just give me a minute t-to think h-here. There's gotta be s-somewhere we h-haven't t-tried yet..." He wasn't liking this any more than they were, but they didn't have many options. What was he going to do? Could he make an igloo out of all the snow? No, that would take too long and he didn't have the first clue how to go about it anyway. They could backtrack to areas they haven't looked, but both the girls were tired of walking. This was starting to look hopeless. As he stood there freezing and thinking the boy heard a sneeze. "Bless you, Noire."

"Huh? What are you talking about?" the raven haired girl asked. "I didn't sneeze or anything." Not Noire? Then maybe it was Uni? Zeno looked to the younger sister but then she denied it as well. But if neither of them sneezed, then who did? There was then another sneeze. This time Zeno was paying enough attention to hear where it was coming from and started to walk toward where the sound came from. Investigating it likely wouldn't solve their problem, but at least it could distract him from the cold for a bit. Seeing him move to check it out got the girls curious, too, so they started to follow.

They turned around a corner to find a side view of a person standing at an entrance to the park. They were facing toward the Basilicom and seemed to be holding a small sign or something in front of them. The person was wearing long light-yellow pants, probably insulated, and a bulky red wool coat with black lining. They also had red shoes on matching the coat and a yellow and purple scarf wrapped around their neck and shoulders. They had light brown hair whose length was a little past the shoulders. They even had a black cat-ears headband on their head and what looked to be a folded easel on their back. They also had some sort of apron worn on the side the three were facing and its pockets were filled with various drawing and painting utensils. Just then they let out one more sneeze followed by a big sniffle. Definitely the answer to their little mystery, but it leads to another. Who was this person? And why were they just standing there all alone?

"...Was I too late?" It was difficult to hear with how softly it was said, but Zeno definitely heard they mystery person speak. Their eyes seemed to be downcast; almost as though they were losing hope on something. "It's been a while now and still no one's shown up. Did they find somewhere else to stay? If they did then maybe I should..."

Zeno quietly approached the mystery person as they talked to themselves. Now that he was getting a better look, the person looked to be a girl roughly around his own height. He wasn't at a good angle to make out what might have been on it, but the sign she was holding was actually a sketchbook. Clearly, she was is some sort of distress, albeit minor, but the boy couldn't just leave well enough alone when someone right in front of him was suffering. He was sure he could do anything but he wanted to at least try. He dusted snow that collected on him off and started to walk up to the girl, trying his best to make it look like the cold wasn't bothering him. Noire made a small quip at him 'playing hero', but he tuned it out.

"Excuse me," the boy called out. The girl turned their head towards Zeno. He continued to approach until he was a couple yards away. "Sorry, to bug you but, um..." He hesitated a little, thinking how he was going to word his question without sounding too weird. "Uhh...Look, I know it's not really my business, but why are you just standing out here all alone?"

"I'm waiting." She responded. The girl didn't hesitate to respond. She wasn't rude about it or looked to be avoiding the topic in any way. It was just a straightforward response. Zeno quizzically repeated her before she continued with her gaze turned forward again. "My friend called me earlier. They said someone they know is on their way here. I was asked to meet them and help get their bearing for the city. But..." The girl's eyes then became downcast again. "I've already been here a while and haven't seen anyone that fits what I was told. I'm a little worried I might have missed them. And it's starting to get cold, too. But then I start thinking... maybe they just got held up on the way and are running late. So..."

"You're not sure whether you should stay or not. Is that right?" The mystery girl gave a light nod. Well, this was bad. Zeno wasn't sure if he could help this person. If she's waiting for one person in particular, chances are he hasn't seen them. He might as well ask. If nothing else, he can say he tried. The boy walked around in front of the girl to get her attention. "Do you know what they look like? I just got into town myself, so I don't know much, but if I've seen who you're looking for I'll try to point you in the right direction." The girl then looked back to him and smiled. She was probably glad for the help, however small. She even looked pretty cute with the smile, and the cat ears were a nice bonus. But what really got his attention was the sign she was holding. "But first I have one quick question: why is my name on your sketchbook?"

It was true. Scrawled on the page in big letters was Zeno's name. Upon hearing his question the girl became a little surprised. "Wait... Are you Mr. Zenotyne?" The boy confirmed that to her and she let out a large sigh of relief as she closed and put away her book. "Thank goodness. I was worried I might have missed my chance to run into you. Let me introduce myself. My name is Kuri. It's nice to meet you. You know Axel in Lastation, right? He's my friend I mentioned." Wait. Axel? The wannabe 'expert'? He has connections outside of Lastation? Will wonders never cease?

The fact this Kuri was waiting for Zeno had caught the sisters' attention. They had come forward from where they previously held back, their curiosity apparent. Noire was the first who spoke up. "So you were waiting on Zeno, then? But then why were you just standing here? Wouldn't it have been better to actually look for him? Or at least wait at the city entrance or something?"

"I wanted to, but Axel didn't really give me much to work with. He just said to look for someone wearing gray and had a shaggy look to them." 'Shaggy'? Is that how Axel described him? Oh, Zeno was gonna show him just how 'shaggy' he was the next time he was in Lastation. "So who are you two? Axel didn't tell me Mr. Zenotyne would have others with him."

"Oh. I guess we should introduce ourselves as well. I'm Noire, CPU of Lastation."

"And my name is Uni. I'm Lastation's CPU Candidate."

"You've already figured it out but I'll say it anyway: I'm Zenotyne. You can just call me Zeno, Kuri."

"So Zeno, Noire, and Uni," Kuri started. "So then, what are the three of you doing walking around at this time? Aren't any of you cold?" With that question, they were all reminded of their situation. The CPUs weren't affected so badly but Zeno had gone back to hugging himself and shivering like a tiny dog.

"We _were_ looking for somewhere to stay the night, but everywhere we've looked aren't taking guests. We're at our wit's end here," Noire answered Kuri.

"You all need a place? I have a place not too far from here. It might be a little small, but you guys can stay there if you like." The sisters instantly brightened up at Kuri's offer. Hell, Zeno was on his knees and hugging her leg and praising her as a precious cinnamon bun and that he could kiss her and other such things in thanks. Kuri laughed nervously a little before continuing. "I'll take that as a 'yes' then. Just follow me, please." Zeno let go of Kuri's leg and got back to his feet. The bottom half of his legs were soaked from the snow now, but he didn't care. They had finally found a place to stay warm and sleep for the night. Things were finally looking up!

* * *

"I know it isn't much, but make yourselves comfortable," Kuri said as she opened the door and let everyone inside. Once the lights were turned on it was revealed they were in an artist's studio. It seemed a little odd to Zeno, but some people feel most comfortable around their work and Kuri had already shown signs of an artistic interest.

"Wow. You live here, Kuri?" Uni asked.

"No, this is my parents' studio. Sometimes they get really caught up in their work so they set up the upstairs as a guest room." Their gracious host led them upstairs. There wasn't too much to be found. There were a couple of queen size beds, bedside tables, lamps and a few other things. It was actually similar to what one would see in a basic inn room.

"Why are there two beds?" Noire asked. "Did your parents get in each others' way when they slept or something?"

"No, one's for me. I like to draw myself and sometimes I'd get caught up in it, too." After Kuri said that last part she briefly stuck out her tongue a little in a cute manner. She then walked in between the beds a pulled on a folding curtain screen that slid on a rail mounted on the ceiling. "They set this up so we could have some privacy from each other. Noire and Uni, you two can sleep on that bed. Zeno and I will sleep on the other."

"Uhh..." Zeno started and gaining everyone's attention. "If it's all the same to you guys, I think I'll sleep on the couch I saw downstairs. Nothing against you, Kuri, but I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable sleeping with a girl."

"Girl? Um, I think there's been a misunderstanding." Misunderstanding? About what? The others all looked to Kuri in confusion. "I'm actually a boy." At that moment every thought running through Zeno's mind came to a screeching halt. The girls seemed frozen as well, likely having difficulty comprehending what was just said.

"...I... I'm sorry. ...What...was that...you just said...?"

"I'm a boy." Surprise started work its way onto Noire and Uni's faces. Zeno's, on the other hand, started to morph into despair. Taking another look at her, or rather _him_ , the possibility her - HIS - claim was true had started to set in. His clothes didn't exclusively point toward one gender or another. The coat he wore was thick and heavy enough any reasonably sized boobs would be completely hidden and it wasn't unheard of for some guys to have long hair. But that face... that FACE! "But don't beat yourself up over it. You're not the first one to make that mistake. I'm actually used to it by this point so it doesn't really bother me. So you shouldn't eith-"

"Wow. So you're really a guy? I would never have guessed! Do people make that mistake often?" Uni said after suddenly appeared closer to Kuri.

"I had a sneaking suspicion, but I wasn't really sure. So how do you keep that face? I hear most people spend a lot of time or money to look that smooth," Noire said next to her sister. The sisters seemed to have taken an interest in Kuri's beauty. Zeno... was on the far side of the room banging his head against the wall, muttering incoherencies as he did so. He couldn't believe that he fell for that. She...he...it was a TRAP!

Zeno himself didn't have anything against those kinds of people personally, but as a straight guy, he now felt like he had fallen victim to someone's idea of a cruel joke. Was this a side effect of most, if not all, notable people in this world being women? He would have to make every effort for Neptune to never learn of this or he would never hear the end of it. Now he DEFINITELY was sleeping on the couch after this embarrassment. Assuming he'd even be able to sleep after this, that is. He figured there would be twists and turns on this journey but... why? WHY!?

* * *

 **And that's another one down. I wanted to get this out sooner but I had some writer's block on how I was going to do this chapter. The bulk of it didn't really come to me until last week, to be honest.**

 **Now I'm sure a lot of you are wondering "Who is this Kuri?" The answer to that lies in my friend Angron's story. The two of us along with two others are part of a group called the Hero Brigade. While yet to appear there, Kuri is one of those other two and has expressed interest in Agron's work as well as being a good friend of his. Angron and I occasionally bounce ideas off each other so I thought I'd borrow some of his intended characters to help flesh out some of the story's originality.**

 **That said, Kuri, if you're reading this I hope you enjoyed my depiction of you and that it does you justice.**

 **Moving on!**

 **Game update:  
** **Little bit more progress than last time but not by much. I'm just about done with the custom sprites for Kainen and have finished the basic portrait picture for him. I'll do more detailed ones later to make a larger variety of expressions but for now, I'm trying to focus on basic necessities so I can get out a test build and get some feedback. I've also started making some actual maps to get the opening scenes done but they still need some work. This is still going to take some time, but I'm inching ever closer to making this really take some shape.**

 **And that's about it. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you when the next one's ready.**

 **Until then, I'll catch you all later. Zeno out!**


End file.
